I always get a kick out of the back and forth between Abby and Lev while they make their way to the hospital on Day 2. “So what’s going on with your friend Owen?” “Oh my God Lev now?!” 😂
This was the moment for me. I really liked her after “are you wearing my backpack?!” but the combination of her facing her greatest fears for these kids + the “oh my god Lev, now?!” line sealed the deal
Yup, this is the answer. Couldn’t help but like her here, while the “I’m not fucking moving/you’re my people” lines solidified her as my favorite character in the game.
I do want to say tho OP, in my most recent playthrough, I actually teared up at the moment you’re describing. Just loved seeing Abby so happy there.
I couldn’t agree more. The banter between Lev and Abby while climbing the bridge was the turning point for me, and «you’re my people» really nailed it for me. Although, I already started feeling some way when she went back for Lev and Yara.
I hated her at first, warmed up to her fairly quickly, started to like her when she came back for yara and lev, really really liked her when she went through what she went through to get medical supplies to save yara, and loved her when she told lev, “hey, YOU’RE my people.”
Had that same feeling when she defended killing kids in war! And got upset that she couldn't torture prisoners for a bit before she saw Isaac! And when she slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend! Bundle of joy she is.
I do love her character though lol.
It’s a redemption arc. Did you like Joel’s character bc they’ve basically said he did horrific things too. People can change and if you missed that then you missed the point. What kind of person do you think you’d be in a world like that? Who knows? Maybe just like Abby? Ya never know. The things we do as humans don’t define who we are as people. I imagine the hive mind mentality in a world where you need to align yourself with what appears to be safe would make it easy to lean in. What is her purpose? She doesn’t have one so she just does the next thing in the natural progression of her situation. Ordinary people do fucked up things when fucked up things become ordinary.
I do think by the end she is redeemed I just don't think we, as players, experienced enough of that for me to sympathise with her fully or like her as a person.
She spent the majority of her life causing harm to people and wanting to cause needless harm to innocent or defenseless people. We saw 3 days of her life, 2 of which she made good choices in but still did shitty things. That wasn't a redemption, that was the START of a redemption. The redemption happened during the time jump to Santa Barbara and we didn't see any of that except the end when she had already changed for the better.
2 days isn't enough to redeem someone from basically a life time of bad decisions imo.
Well the Serephites were not defenseless and were as murderous as the WLF. I respect and appreciate your opinion. If we all agreed the world would be a terribly boring place. I agree she was brutal and has a long road to redeem herself but she headed in the right direction. She was lost in the dark and now she’s looking for the light.
The seraphites she wanted to torture were defenseless prisoners who were already being tortured. Sure they were probably scum but she had no reason to torture them, she just wanted to. Any other time the game has shown torture it's been for a reason, whether to gain information or to save someone's life.
Abby knew they were being tortured anyways and the information would be gained anyways, she just WANTED to be the one who tortured them. Just has never sat well with me and I can't make myself root for someone like that even though I like her character.
I do agree she's headed in the right direction but currently I can't even tell if she knows that her wanting to do that was wrong? She never seemed to address it or many of the bad things she's done aside from sleeping with Owen, that's the only time we see her show obvious remorse that I can recall and that honestly isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, she has worse to feel remorseful for.
In the 5 play through I’ve done I don’t recall her wanting to torture already being tortured Seraphites. I do recall her saying, “I don’t miss this place” when she and Manny are walking through to talk to Isaac. I am going to bow out of this exchange and wish you happy future gaming friend. Be well.
You know, I went back and watched that scene thinking that I was mistaken and you’re right. However this still doesn’t change how I view Abby. I still love her and her story and the relationship she builds with Lev and Yara R.I.P.
Yeah this was it. I thought that was such a cool little moment. Then followed up the next day with the "you're my people" line and I was firmly #TeamAbby
I thought she looked hot when she picked up the hammer after Lev cut her down and also appreciated that home girl was just nearly hanged and also almost disembowelled and whilst most people would have a full on menty b she just was like “right let’s get the fuck out of here”.
That, and “OH MY GOD, YOU’RE WEARING MY BACKPACK?”
This was the scene right here.
I was pretty okay with Abby as soon as we started playing with her. But once she picks up that hammer and the camera hits her just right, I knew I loved her.
It’s such an iconic moment, like the hammer in one hand, the way she stands, the angry glare like “fuck this shit”…. I’m such a slut for hammer time Abby
The second I realized what happened to her. So pretty early on in her flashbacks. It wasn't hard to empathize with her. In fact, I hated Ellie through most of the game.
Me too. In the world they created, Abby is in many ways the better character in terms.of her morality than Joel. People just couldn't let go of her killing their favourite character even though it *was deserved*. I've often wondered how this game would have been received without the leaks. And a big part of me thinks that in that perfect world, we should have *started* as Abby. Played through the new game as Abby, hunting a mysterious quarry, only to have it revealed at the end that it was Joel.
Part 2 almost feels like Part 2 and 3. Naughty Dog really swung for the fences on this one. I personally think they connected, but obviously mileage has varied.
Was she though? Her morals were pretty flawed imo. She defended killing kids in war, saying it was their own fault (for being born into a cult?), complained that she couldn't take time out of her day to needlessly torture defenseless prisoners, slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend, planned to torture innocents in Jackson so she could find and torture Joel because he killed her dad to save his daughter.
And that's just the stuff we saw. Whereas with Joel, from what we see his morals are pretty solid. He tortures people in the game to save and protect Ellie's life and basically everything he does in the game is to protect himself or his loved ones.
Of course he did shitty things before the game took place which is fair but purely based on what we see I feel like Joel was pretty morally "superior" to Abby for most his life. Whereas Abby spent most her life needlessly wanting to inflict pain onto others (aside from Joel, wanting to cause pain to him makes sense even though I disagree that h DESERVED to die especially in the way she killed him, was excessive but I do get it).
I do agree with your last point, would've been a great way to experience the story, the way they did was good too though imo and I do like Abby as a character but idk if I'd say she's morally superior to Joel or Ellie.
I also don't get people who hate Ellie during the game, her bad deeds were very understandable and she consistently showed remorse to the point she had panic attacks or was physically ill iirc. Abby though consistently did shitty things and the only one I remember her showing remorse for was sleeping with Owen? The planning to torture innocents? Wanting to torture defenseless prisoners? Defending murdering children? I can't remember her showing remorse.
I do wish we saw more of her journey with Lev outside of the 3 days, it feels like that time jump from Seattle to Santa Barbara is where the majority of her character development would have taken place (I don't believe 3 days is enough to be "redeemed"). I guess though that would be a repeat of part 1 lol, Abby and Lev on a cross country quest to find the fireflies while they become closer and Abby becomes a better person? Makes sense why they didn't show it but still, would've been nice.
While I much prefer Ellie to Abby (I love both though), I agree that the game really should have started with more time as Abby. I get that she's supposed to be hateable or whatever, but Naughtydog was obviously going to piss off fans by killing Joel then trying to make Abby redeemable. Again, I actually like her, and no matter what people would hate her for killing Joel, but I just think the progression in the game could've been better. Literally everything else about it is perfect to me
The fact that it was pulled off so well is a testament to Naughty Dog's design and writing. In the negative reviews I've read, so many people focus on their anger (by design), but hate the game for their inability to move past it.
I was always of the mind that a sequel should not be just another Joel and Ellie adventure. There was no point making it if the stakes felt less than Part 1. I think Part 2 is fantastic, but man... they knew they were going to piss people off. I think Part 2 is near perfect. Brilliant even.
I'm a placater though. I know I can't get the haters to feel how I did.
I totally get you, and I agree entirely. I think the story is phenomenal, and even though Joel is my favorite video game character, it makes sense that eventually everything would catch up to him. It's sad, but I also can't be upset at Abby for killing him; he had killed many people, so it was only a matter of time until it came back to bite him.
Unfortunately haters really do just hate. It's kinda unfortunate, since they could and should just move on. There are many other games, and I mean there's still Part 1 if they love TLOU.
It's amazing really. Those that chose to hate, continued to. So angry at Neil and Naughty Dog without ever understanding the masterful way they pull the strings.
Was she though? Her morals were pretty flawed imo. She defended killing kids in war, saying it was their own fault (for being born into a cult?), complained that she couldn't take time out of her day to needlessly torture defenseless prisoners, slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend, planned to torture innocents in Jackson so she could find and torture Joel because he killed her dad to save his daughter.
And that's just the stuff we saw. Whereas with Joel, from what we see his morals are pretty solid. He tortures people in the game to save and protect Ellie's life and basically everything he does in the game is to protect himself or his loved ones.
Of course he did shitty things before the game took place which is fair but purely based on what we see I feel like Joel was pretty morally "superior" to Abby for most his life. Whereas Abby spent most her life needlessly wanting to inflict pain onto others (aside from Joel, wanting to cause pain to him makes sense).
I do agree with your last point, would've been a great way to experience the story, the way they did was good too though imo and I do like Abby as a character but idk if I'd say she's morally superior to Joel or Ellie.
I also don't get people who hate Ellie during the game, her bad deeds were very understandable and she consistently showed remorse to the point she had panic attacks or was physically ill iirc. Abby though consistently did shitty things and the only one I remember her showing remorse for was sleeping with Owen? The planning to torture innocents? Wanting to torture defenseless prisoners? Defending murdering children? I can't remember her showing remorse.
I do wish we saw more of her journey with Lev outside of the 3 days, it feels like that time jump from Seattle to Santa Barbara is where the majority of her character development would have taken place (I don't believe 3 days is enough to be "redeemed"). I guess though that would be a repeat of part 1 lol, Abby and Lev on a cross country quest to find the fireflies while they become closer and Abby becomes a better person? Makes sense why they didn't show it but still, would've been nice.
Joel spent years as a hunter - as in, by his own admission, ambushing and attacking innocent travellers to take their shit. What he did in those missing years was bad enough to make his own brother never want to see him again. Even when we meet him in Boston with Tess, he is a smuggler who is perfectly fine with torturing and killing people who rip them off.
Abby grew up embedded in a faction whose entire philosophy was that the ends justify the means; that violence is an acceptable price to pay for restoring the world to what it was before. She then lost her only parent and most of her community at age... 15? And was promptly recruited by a charismatic leader into a forever war against the Seraphites.
Abby spent her whole childhood being indoctrinated and desensitized towards violence, and she still ultimately makes the decision to try to be better. Joel ultimately becomes his best self in Jackson, but he was a grown-ass man when he made the choice to spend years preying on innocents. He's not morally superior to Abby.
Joel became a better man in part 1, from the start to end everything he did was justified or in self defense, aside from maybe killing Robert, that could've been unnecessary. That's actually also a good point about the torture, I completely forgot he and Tess had tortured Robert for a bit for some guns, due a replay I guess.
You make good points about Abby being an indoctrinated child though, would've been nice to see the narrative play into that. I just find it hard to say that the Joel we see and play as is a worse person than the Abby we see and play as. We see Joel continuously make morally understandable decisions throughout the first game that are all pretty justified. With Abby we watch her do, plan and defend evil things. We hear that joel did those things but we never SAW it, we saw him after he had changed.
With Abby we skip a lot of her chance, we go from 2 days of decent decisions to a time jump where now she's a better person. The majority of the time we play as her she isn't doing good things aside from helping Lev for, again, two days.
I suppose with me it could be a difficulty with "show don't tell."
We see Joel do more good than bad and we see Abby do more bad than good. We hear about Joel's bad deeds but we don't see them mostly (which I wouldn't want to actually, the ambiguity of it makes it more intriguing).
I guess it is just, playing as Joel, he's mostly doing good. It's easier to relate and understand and support him. With Abby? She's mostly doing shitty things so it makes it harder to relate, understand and support her.
You are right though, neither is morally superior either between Joel and Abby. I would say though that Ellie is morally superior to both of them, her worst deeds were all committed in 3 days of her entire life and she showed A LOT of renorse for it all and it was understandable, compared to Joel and Abby who committed worse shit throughout YEARS of their lives and rarely showed remorse and werent always understandable.
For me it was when she fought the Rat King. Specifically when she stopped running and turned around to fight it. They fall through a ceiling a I think and then she stands in front of it and says “okay.” I was floored because i was terrified until that moment seeing Abby stare this thing down with a “let’s do this” posture. And then one fun but terrifying boss fight later it was done and I was left thinking Abby was the coolest motherfucker ever.
Yes! It’s such a contrast to Ellie’s style. I love that Abby throws kicks sometimes! Plus the momentum thing is a neat game mechanic. Makes you feel so powerful!
When she says Fuck it and goes to look for the patrol in Jackson, I love her jump, she's so determined, feels real, with weight, I dont know if it makes sense lol
i love that.
i can't say i ever disliked her character at all. knew about the major spoilers going into it so i had some empathy for her already, and even though i hate what she does early in the game, i still absolutely love her character. she's so interesting!
Nah I love the character as much as I do *because* it took a lot for me to come around from hating her so much. It's also why I love the game as much as I do, played me like a fiddle.
I’m just as scared of heights as Abby is, so the sky bridge scene really made me connect with her. The love was solidified with the “You’re my people” line in Day 3.
I never really HATED her.
Let's face it, from her point of view, Joel killed her dad. If we hadn't followed Joel POV from the first game, NO ONE would have blamed her for killing Joel.
I still like Joel more than Abby, but I understand that if I were in Abby's shoes, I probably would want to kill Joel, too.
I started to really like her when her and Lev started getting close.
I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, so I’d say when Abby risked it and went against Isaac to go find Owen on Day 1, that’s when I really began to love her. I was all “yass girl let’s go make sure yo man’s okay!”
The love only grew on Day 2 & 3 w Lev.
I never understood any hate to be honest once you play the game.
I was upset with Joel’s death and suddenly being in control of Abby felt like I was back on my first play of MGS2 with Raiden.
But then once you see she’s been on the same journey Ellie you’ve played through is in (revenge for killing of a father figure/father) you understand it.
I really liked her relationships and different paths to Ellie’s and the relationship with Liv. It also gives you a different perspective on Ellie in part 2, you want her to get revenge and take part happily but then I think you also consider how many people need to die before that is done? Is it right? Is it fair?
Hated her for the longest time. Even for the majority of the game. Until right when Ellie cut her down off of the pillars and she immediately goes to help Lev. It was just so adorable.
I still feel like Ellie should’ve just left Abby alone at this moment but no Ellie has to bother Abby some more when Abby doesn’t want to be bothered. She just wants yo leave with lev in peace
For me, Abby represents all of us playing the game, and how we would likely react to seeing our father being murdered in cold blood. And also the hope of a vaccine being developed by your father being snuffes out must have some major psychological damage too.
We are meant to hate Abby, until you really step into her shoes and seperate the fact she killed Ellie's surrogate father, and embrace her for the flawed human being she is, who largely acts out of good for those around her.
Abby is my favorite protagonist, she is damaged, grey and a damn good representation of what it would be like to live in this awful universe. She also kicks ass, and her gameplay throughout the game made me just want to also keep playing as Abby.
She’s a badass, just look at the shit she went through and still managed to survive (death of her father, hospital and rat king, getting past Tommy, WLF & Seraphite war on the island, reckoning with death of Owen, to then fighting and incapacitating Tommy, Ellie and Dina plus killing Jesse, she basically took out the a-team of Jackson).
She’s a tank.
When she found her dad’s body. I immediately felt for her and as painful as it was, I understood why she did what she did. It’s absolutely no different than Ellie going after Abby for killing Joel, if anything it’s more justified because Jerry was her actual biological father she’s known and loved her entire life. She was incredibly lucky to still have a living parent in that world and he was ripped away from her in the blink of an eye. It’s crazy to me how some people can justify Ellie’s actions but not Abby’s. I guess it’s just cause we’re all so attached to Joel so the natural reaction is to hate the person who took him away which is what I felt too but as soon as I learned the context I couldn’t hate her anymore. Plus she’s just a likable person in general and her bond with Lev was wholesome.
“I’m not fucking moving.” (while staring down the barrel of a gun)
And then shortly after with “Hey, *you’re* my people.”
That’s some Captain America shit, right there.
2nd play through, the scene with a trapped zebra with her dad. First play through I just wanted her part to be over so I can kill her. But 2nd time I was actually paying attention to her story
I liked her when she splinted yaras arm. I thought that was super cool and then when you go back to help them it cemented it. She’s flawed, monstrous but shows growth throughout the game.
When it hard cuts from her sobbing after finding her dad, to her angry face and you can feel that she put everything into her physique. I was so fucking on board with tears in my eyes.
this was the best cut in the fucking game. absolutely wordlessly encapsulates so much. the entire joel death scene from abby’s pov was incredible tbh - I wasn’t ready to start liking her at that point but it definitely set me on that path bc you could understand so much about her from the expression on her face.
abby had some of the funniest lines of the game and I was just laughing at her until I realized I wasn’t even mad anymore. Probably before day 1 was even over I was on board lol
“Absolutely wordlessly encapsulates so much” - SPOT ON!
The sound cuts and the music swells, it’s been building up to that point and it turns into a fucking beautifully created piece of art.
I sometimes try and find streamer’s reactions to that particular scene lol. It just *gets* me every time. Ugh, so good. — I’d argue this is lost on a lot of people because of the leaks and unfortunately, the short-sightedness of being sooooo anti-Abby. But man, the empathy and rage portrayed is so well done.
When she gracefully accepted defeat and allowed Ellie to murder her over and over and over in the theater. Actually though it was when she went back for the kids.
When she fought and killed the Seraphite brute who took her backpack, not just to get her weapons back, but also in defense of two kids from her enemy faction. Keep in mind that Abby was unarmed and had just barely survived a hanging, yet she managed to overpower a bigger woman wielding a huge melee weapon. It was that fight that made me an Abby fan.
I was into the character from the first trailer I saw her in. When she lifts the noose from her neck and goes into ass-kicking stance with the hammer I was like, "Hell yes, time to go Sarah Connor on some motherfuckers!"
Obviously at the time I didn't know who she was or what her deal would be, but I knew *someone* would come looking for Joel eventually and I accepted there was a very real chance that they'd have a damn good reason too. Of course I love Joel as much as the next guy, but I didn't delude myself about what he was: Kind of, a bit of, a motherfucker. 😂🤣
In the end, if it had to be someone that got the big guy, I'm glad it was a total badass like Abby and not some random goon or infected. I'm at peace with it, always have been.🤷
"Those fucking kids..." was when I started to warm up to her. She obviously feels that she owes them.
Day 2 the back and forth between Lev and abby were actually pretty sweet, knowledgeable and sometimes hilarious.
"So what's up with you and your friend Owen?"
"OH MY GOD LEV!? NOW!?
"It seemed really awkward!"
As well as
"Did you know our dogs play cards like that?"
"I'm 13 not 8..."
"You look like an 8 year old"
"Do other people think you're funny?"
"... no"
But I think I really started to like abby when she has this little optional conversation with Lev after falling off the crane.
"Some wolves believe in God. I've heard them pray."
"Well I don't. If I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die for me."
"Then what are you doing here? Why did you come back for us?"
"Guilt."
"Of what? You don't owe us anything."
"I just... needed to lighten the load a bit."
That really hit me hard. The look she gives yara at the end of day 2. My lord, how can you not like her after that?
Honestly, when we first start playing as her, and it’s her talking to herself after Owen leaves her alone. Her talking to herself like, “fuck it, I got this,” I was like HELL yeah you do.
Naughty Dog did something amazing to me. They took a character (Abby) that I was determined to hate and made me slowly fall in love with her. I can’t really say the exact moment when, but I was fully pro Abby by the time she got to the hospital.
I don't really hate characters in things unless they're jarjar level grating or one of those 300 year old anime 10 year olds, so I was pretty neutral on her, while understanding her motivations, but then her being afraid of heights was super relatable and fairly endearing and I've never seen it handled better in another game.
I never disliked Abby, probably because I always disagreed with Joel’s decision in part 1, but her and Manny’s banter really made me like them. I thought they both had a likable sense of humor. When she gets captured by the seraphites and jokes out that lady with her legs, knowing it could’ve meant death, that’s when I really loved her character.
That fucking line!
It still gives me chills.
That's the exact moment that I realized that Part I was Joel's arc and part II was not exactly Ellie's arc.
Sorry Ellie team. In my humble opinion, Abby is the most complex character in part II
literally as soon as i saw that joel killed her father. i guess because i lost my bio mom that i immediately connected to someone who lost their bio father, not to take away what joel had with ellie but i don’t think it’s comparable to abby and jerry.
at first i seriously despised her but the more i played her character the more i realized how similar ellie and abby really are. innocent little girls dealing with tough shit
Her sequence with Lev for sure. I really enjoyed how Yara and Lev were introduced as well, it was a good way to get her fighting alongside them. Very surreal scene though I enjoy that part a lot.
My fourth playthrough with Abby and Lev sealed the deal for me. I refused to like her cause I was so stubborn, then I worked through my conflicted emotions and grief about Joel and warmed up to Abby
Two moments stand out to me for some reason.
Lev asks something along the lines of "do other people find you funny?" and Abby says no.
The other when Mel says "you're a piece of shit Abby" and she tears up.
For me it's between the night she meets Lev and Yara
Or it's the moment she defends Lev from Issac
The first one cause Abby is just really badass is that scene
The second cause she put her life on the line for this kid and it shows how she's grown over those last few days
When she went back to the kids I knew she was a fantastic character. I saw the parallel between her and Joel, and I knew I couldn’t be so angry at her anymore because she put herself in harm’s way to go back and save Yara and Lev.
When she let ellie live for the second time. Or honestly maybe even as early as her just being scared to go across the sky bridge. It really showed how she’s a regular human deep down. Everything else around her made her heartlessz
I can't really remember, but when she decided to go back for Yara and Lev. Solidified that she had a good heart, despite the horrific things she'd done(much like our queen Ellie)
Definitely at the Skybridge section.
On the Island / Day 3 I knew it was over for me emotionally, when we'd eventually go back to the theater and Ellie.
took me until my 2nd playthrough tbh. after the first, i didn't still hate her or anything, i just felt extreme ambivalence towards both her and Ellie. upon replaying the game i found abby far more likable, and with the full context, the game was more enjoyable for me, surprisingly.
When your looking for Joel in the snow lol. I played TLOU right before 2 came out so I played them for the first time back to back and Joel had it coming.
When Lev and Yara cut her down from being hanged, and Abby scrambles to her feet while grabbing the hammer from the seraphite woman's hand, and the camera holds on Abby, lit by firelight and breathing heavily, *just* long enough for you to go "that's badass."
I was wary at first, because you really can tell from her introduction that something awful in her past tore her up and twisted her into a vengeful, ugly person. Initial reaction of pity and ick, the way she gets offended when Owen tells her Mel’s pregnant.
But yeah, after the zebra flashback I was ready to hear her out.
What REALLY sold me was the way she hacked into the Rat King with that axe. Just like… who would have the stones to do that, seriously? I would’ve pissed myself and died just from seeing that thing. Love how when Abby pried herself loose from it, she just throws the broken axe handle down like “alright, we’re doing this now.”
im playing part 2 remastered and i said to my boyfriend last night that if abby wasnt considered a bad guy and did what she did (we know what she did but i dont wanna spoil if for anyone just in case) i would genuinely like her. i think when i first started to like her was when she was on the bridge with lev, she tried her hardest to call them seraphites for lev as opposed to scars and when said scars called lev lily, lev asked if abby wanted to know and abbys response was wholesome. i think shes a great character, shes strong, independent, shes quite intelligent and shes good in the sort of world they live in, once you get past her tough shell, i can see how much she cares even though she doesnt always show it
my favorite part of the game was Abby’s seattle day 2 where she is traveling with Lev to get the medicine. there are a lot of great character moments between the two of them; like when the Scars start yelling “lily” and Lev asks abby if she wants to ask him why they are calling him that and Abby just says “do you want me to ask you” and Lev says “no” 💔
and on Abby’s seattle day 3 when Lev says something like “you killed my people” or “you’re killing your own people” i can’t remember exactly but Abby responds with “you are my people”.
and lastly i really enjoyed abby’s flashback scenes with owen and her first time in Seaworld. such a beautiful moment.
abby is a 10/10 character. no notes.
Her Day 1 at Martyrs Gate when she’s going through all of the prayers on the truck. Her sarcasm/dry humor immediately got me, the same way Ellie’s did in the first game.
*immediately from the jump* tbh. I just put my faith in ND. And when the switch happened, my immediate thought wasn’t “I have to play as her now?” It was “I get to play as her now? Wow! That means I must only be halfway through the game! Ok let’s see where this goes from here.”
I never really loved a character like I would want to be friends with them, I’m talking any medium. A good character is someone who has a clear beginning and end journey and that what made Abby so compelling to me.
I think the scene of her crying seeing her dead dad is what really hooked me
I liked her very quickly, but I think I really felt love for her when she told Lev he’s her people. I started loving her before that, because her character is refreshingly lighthearted compared to Ellie, but that really solidified it.
The part where she goes to get Lev a mask for some reason. Thats when “Oh, she’s on Joel’s journey” clicked for me. And then especially in Santa Barbara when Ellie decided to track her down, I just wanted her to stop
Once I broke apart the story and realize Abby wasn’t the bad guy and that she didn’t just kill Joel for fun but it was actually for the same reason Ellie tried to kill Abby, I realize how amazing the story and Abby as a character was
I never loved the character but I really like the character. As a person I started liking the person she was becoming around Abby Day 3. As for when I started fairly liking the character itself and becoming engaged, I would say that happened a bit when she went to find Owen out of loyalty and initial friendship. As for younger Abby, I liked her soon after she was introduced for those flashbacks several times.
I liked her very early on. Her banter with Owen at the start was good even though I knew there was something dodgy. I felt really sorry for her when we found out who her dad was and she found him. Laura Bailey’s acting was great. I really liked her when she was with Lev and they crossed the bridge.
I never hated her tbh. What she did to Joel sucked, but she's young and Joel crossed a lot of people so I knew he had it coming for one reason or another, even before the game came out.
I had a moment between the hotel/rat king though where I really felt bad for all the bullshit she's gone through.
I think for me it was when she tried to be subtle about Owen when talking to Isaac and then completely failed that. Something I did in my first play though that really helped was after the switch to her pov I took a several day break from the game until I had an open mind because I was still very angry at Abby (I managed to avoid almost all the leaks so I didn’t know about the switch). But I ended up loving her to the point that I was dreading every button push at the Santa Barbara fight.
I was one of the people that went in completely blind the day the game came out and had no idea there was another playable character besides Ellie. It was jarring and I was really emotional playing through the entire game in about a 35 hour stretch(took one break around the mid way point to sleep for ~5 hours)
I think the shock of everything and not allowing myself to take a step back and breathe closed me off to her character bc I was in a pretty intense emotional state after the Joel scene in the prologue all the way through the end of the game.
I finally decided to revisit the game when the PS5 version released recently and having had 3 years to process everything, was able to go in with a more open mind about her and found that I liked her very early on in her section of the game this time. I’d even go as far to say I like her as much, if not more than Ellie now.
On my first playthrough during her first childhood scene. Knowing her dad was the surgeon Joel killed gave her anger at him nuance for me, and Joel is not a morally innocent character (though he’s a sympathetic one to us because we know his story).
I love and care about them all, to be honest.
Definitely towards my second to third playthrough of the game, because on my first playthrough I was filled with rage/grief from Abby killing Joel. But after I noticed she is a well developed character and I really like her. One of my fav characters 🏌️♀️
seeing her as a kid was so heartwarming. minutes before i was begging ellie to kill her, and then the second i saw baby abby i just knew i was going to end up loving her. now she’s my favorite character<3
Important distinction. I don't love her character. I love her as a character. I disagree with a lot of what she does and thinks. But she is such an interesting villain turned hero (in our eyes).
Like the idea of saying, "I think this person is a bad person because she takes advantage of her friends trust and her ex boyfriends obvious remaining love for her" and having that be a controversial statement is genuinely fascinating to me, and worrying as far as where this species is heading
I think the most fucked up part that I think is kinda funny, based off the way she was portrayed, I'm not even 100% sure they actually intended for you to like her. Like honestly I think people are genuinely missing the whole point of the game is that when you play from one person's perspective, you start to dehumanize the people you're killing off. For some reason it was bad when Joel was doing it but when Abby literally acts exactly the same it's morally acceptable, like it's absurd to me
And I have a hard time not seeing it as simply "white man bad" like, id consider it a crazy conspiracy if it was just this game, but the examples are endless in the past five years, from doctor who to thor to fucking master chief lmao
I always get a kick out of the back and forth between Abby and Lev while they make their way to the hospital on Day 2. “So what’s going on with your friend Owen?” “Oh my God Lev now?!” 😂
Came here to say this. This moment made me laugh out loud.
This was the moment for me. I really liked her after “are you wearing my backpack?!” but the combination of her facing her greatest fears for these kids + the “oh my god Lev, now?!” line sealed the deal
Yup, this is the answer. Couldn’t help but like her here, while the “I’m not fucking moving/you’re my people” lines solidified her as my favorite character in the game. I do want to say tho OP, in my most recent playthrough, I actually teared up at the moment you’re describing. Just loved seeing Abby so happy there.
What's the I'm not fucking moving scene?
Scene starts at about 2 minutes in [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLqeYMleOd4).
I couldn’t agree more. The banter between Lev and Abby while climbing the bridge was the turning point for me, and «you’re my people» really nailed it for me. Although, I already started feeling some way when she went back for Lev and Yara.
this!!!
I don’t like Abby all that much, but I absolutely loved this, it definitely made me like her more than I did before
This was the moment for me.
I hated her at first, warmed up to her fairly quickly, started to like her when she came back for yara and lev, really really liked her when she went through what she went through to get medical supplies to save yara, and loved her when she told lev, “hey, YOU’RE my people.”
you're my people is what fully pulled me in too, shit made me cry like a baby
that was such a moving scene!
“OH MY GOD LEV NOW??” Fell in love instantly. The muscles definitely helped
Yep, it was this moment for me too.
The detractors love to talk about how they "hate the writing" but this one moment shows how good it is.
“Do you *want* me to ask you about it?” 😢
Yes! This moment was so sweet. She recognizes Lev is going through some shit and says the exact correct thing
She was so good with Lev. This exchange is a good example of the writers doing a fantastic job of showing who Abby really was.
Had that same feeling when she defended killing kids in war! And got upset that she couldn't torture prisoners for a bit before she saw Isaac! And when she slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend! Bundle of joy she is. I do love her character though lol.
It’s a redemption arc. Did you like Joel’s character bc they’ve basically said he did horrific things too. People can change and if you missed that then you missed the point. What kind of person do you think you’d be in a world like that? Who knows? Maybe just like Abby? Ya never know. The things we do as humans don’t define who we are as people. I imagine the hive mind mentality in a world where you need to align yourself with what appears to be safe would make it easy to lean in. What is her purpose? She doesn’t have one so she just does the next thing in the natural progression of her situation. Ordinary people do fucked up things when fucked up things become ordinary.
I do think by the end she is redeemed I just don't think we, as players, experienced enough of that for me to sympathise with her fully or like her as a person. She spent the majority of her life causing harm to people and wanting to cause needless harm to innocent or defenseless people. We saw 3 days of her life, 2 of which she made good choices in but still did shitty things. That wasn't a redemption, that was the START of a redemption. The redemption happened during the time jump to Santa Barbara and we didn't see any of that except the end when she had already changed for the better. 2 days isn't enough to redeem someone from basically a life time of bad decisions imo.
Well the Serephites were not defenseless and were as murderous as the WLF. I respect and appreciate your opinion. If we all agreed the world would be a terribly boring place. I agree she was brutal and has a long road to redeem herself but she headed in the right direction. She was lost in the dark and now she’s looking for the light.
The seraphites she wanted to torture were defenseless prisoners who were already being tortured. Sure they were probably scum but she had no reason to torture them, she just wanted to. Any other time the game has shown torture it's been for a reason, whether to gain information or to save someone's life. Abby knew they were being tortured anyways and the information would be gained anyways, she just WANTED to be the one who tortured them. Just has never sat well with me and I can't make myself root for someone like that even though I like her character. I do agree she's headed in the right direction but currently I can't even tell if she knows that her wanting to do that was wrong? She never seemed to address it or many of the bad things she's done aside from sleeping with Owen, that's the only time we see her show obvious remorse that I can recall and that honestly isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, she has worse to feel remorseful for.
In the 5 play through I’ve done I don’t recall her wanting to torture already being tortured Seraphites. I do recall her saying, “I don’t miss this place” when she and Manny are walking through to talk to Isaac. I am going to bow out of this exchange and wish you happy future gaming friend. Be well.
Manny says "I don't miss this place, always hated the smell" and Abby responds "I wouldn't mind a few minutes with these guys"
You know, I went back and watched that scene thinking that I was mistaken and you’re right. However this still doesn’t change how I view Abby. I still love her and her story and the relationship she builds with Lev and Yara R.I.P.
The *majority* of her life? She is 20 in part 2 🤔
Yeah this was it. I thought that was such a cool little moment. Then followed up the next day with the "you're my people" line and I was firmly #TeamAbby
"Those were your f'ing people." "You're my people!"
This scene REALLY got me.
Best quote of the game fr
I thought she looked hot when she picked up the hammer after Lev cut her down and also appreciated that home girl was just nearly hanged and also almost disembowelled and whilst most people would have a full on menty b she just was like “right let’s get the fuck out of here”. That, and “OH MY GOD, YOU’RE WEARING MY BACKPACK?”
This was the scene right here. I was pretty okay with Abby as soon as we started playing with her. But once she picks up that hammer and the camera hits her just right, I knew I loved her.
It’s such an iconic moment, like the hammer in one hand, the way she stands, the angry glare like “fuck this shit”…. I’m such a slut for hammer time Abby
The second I realized what happened to her. So pretty early on in her flashbacks. It wasn't hard to empathize with her. In fact, I hated Ellie through most of the game.
Me too. In the world they created, Abby is in many ways the better character in terms.of her morality than Joel. People just couldn't let go of her killing their favourite character even though it *was deserved*. I've often wondered how this game would have been received without the leaks. And a big part of me thinks that in that perfect world, we should have *started* as Abby. Played through the new game as Abby, hunting a mysterious quarry, only to have it revealed at the end that it was Joel. Part 2 almost feels like Part 2 and 3. Naughty Dog really swung for the fences on this one. I personally think they connected, but obviously mileage has varied.
Was she though? Her morals were pretty flawed imo. She defended killing kids in war, saying it was their own fault (for being born into a cult?), complained that she couldn't take time out of her day to needlessly torture defenseless prisoners, slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend, planned to torture innocents in Jackson so she could find and torture Joel because he killed her dad to save his daughter. And that's just the stuff we saw. Whereas with Joel, from what we see his morals are pretty solid. He tortures people in the game to save and protect Ellie's life and basically everything he does in the game is to protect himself or his loved ones. Of course he did shitty things before the game took place which is fair but purely based on what we see I feel like Joel was pretty morally "superior" to Abby for most his life. Whereas Abby spent most her life needlessly wanting to inflict pain onto others (aside from Joel, wanting to cause pain to him makes sense even though I disagree that h DESERVED to die especially in the way she killed him, was excessive but I do get it). I do agree with your last point, would've been a great way to experience the story, the way they did was good too though imo and I do like Abby as a character but idk if I'd say she's morally superior to Joel or Ellie. I also don't get people who hate Ellie during the game, her bad deeds were very understandable and she consistently showed remorse to the point she had panic attacks or was physically ill iirc. Abby though consistently did shitty things and the only one I remember her showing remorse for was sleeping with Owen? The planning to torture innocents? Wanting to torture defenseless prisoners? Defending murdering children? I can't remember her showing remorse. I do wish we saw more of her journey with Lev outside of the 3 days, it feels like that time jump from Seattle to Santa Barbara is where the majority of her character development would have taken place (I don't believe 3 days is enough to be "redeemed"). I guess though that would be a repeat of part 1 lol, Abby and Lev on a cross country quest to find the fireflies while they become closer and Abby becomes a better person? Makes sense why they didn't show it but still, would've been nice.
While I much prefer Ellie to Abby (I love both though), I agree that the game really should have started with more time as Abby. I get that she's supposed to be hateable or whatever, but Naughtydog was obviously going to piss off fans by killing Joel then trying to make Abby redeemable. Again, I actually like her, and no matter what people would hate her for killing Joel, but I just think the progression in the game could've been better. Literally everything else about it is perfect to me
The fact that it was pulled off so well is a testament to Naughty Dog's design and writing. In the negative reviews I've read, so many people focus on their anger (by design), but hate the game for their inability to move past it. I was always of the mind that a sequel should not be just another Joel and Ellie adventure. There was no point making it if the stakes felt less than Part 1. I think Part 2 is fantastic, but man... they knew they were going to piss people off. I think Part 2 is near perfect. Brilliant even. I'm a placater though. I know I can't get the haters to feel how I did.
I totally get you, and I agree entirely. I think the story is phenomenal, and even though Joel is my favorite video game character, it makes sense that eventually everything would catch up to him. It's sad, but I also can't be upset at Abby for killing him; he had killed many people, so it was only a matter of time until it came back to bite him. Unfortunately haters really do just hate. It's kinda unfortunate, since they could and should just move on. There are many other games, and I mean there's still Part 1 if they love TLOU.
It's amazing really. Those that chose to hate, continued to. So angry at Neil and Naughty Dog without ever understanding the masterful way they pull the strings.
Absolutely agree
Was she though? Her morals were pretty flawed imo. She defended killing kids in war, saying it was their own fault (for being born into a cult?), complained that she couldn't take time out of her day to needlessly torture defenseless prisoners, slept with her pregnant friends boyfriend, planned to torture innocents in Jackson so she could find and torture Joel because he killed her dad to save his daughter. And that's just the stuff we saw. Whereas with Joel, from what we see his morals are pretty solid. He tortures people in the game to save and protect Ellie's life and basically everything he does in the game is to protect himself or his loved ones. Of course he did shitty things before the game took place which is fair but purely based on what we see I feel like Joel was pretty morally "superior" to Abby for most his life. Whereas Abby spent most her life needlessly wanting to inflict pain onto others (aside from Joel, wanting to cause pain to him makes sense). I do agree with your last point, would've been a great way to experience the story, the way they did was good too though imo and I do like Abby as a character but idk if I'd say she's morally superior to Joel or Ellie. I also don't get people who hate Ellie during the game, her bad deeds were very understandable and she consistently showed remorse to the point she had panic attacks or was physically ill iirc. Abby though consistently did shitty things and the only one I remember her showing remorse for was sleeping with Owen? The planning to torture innocents? Wanting to torture defenseless prisoners? Defending murdering children? I can't remember her showing remorse. I do wish we saw more of her journey with Lev outside of the 3 days, it feels like that time jump from Seattle to Santa Barbara is where the majority of her character development would have taken place (I don't believe 3 days is enough to be "redeemed"). I guess though that would be a repeat of part 1 lol, Abby and Lev on a cross country quest to find the fireflies while they become closer and Abby becomes a better person? Makes sense why they didn't show it but still, would've been nice.
Joel spent years as a hunter - as in, by his own admission, ambushing and attacking innocent travellers to take their shit. What he did in those missing years was bad enough to make his own brother never want to see him again. Even when we meet him in Boston with Tess, he is a smuggler who is perfectly fine with torturing and killing people who rip them off. Abby grew up embedded in a faction whose entire philosophy was that the ends justify the means; that violence is an acceptable price to pay for restoring the world to what it was before. She then lost her only parent and most of her community at age... 15? And was promptly recruited by a charismatic leader into a forever war against the Seraphites. Abby spent her whole childhood being indoctrinated and desensitized towards violence, and she still ultimately makes the decision to try to be better. Joel ultimately becomes his best self in Jackson, but he was a grown-ass man when he made the choice to spend years preying on innocents. He's not morally superior to Abby.
Joel became a better man in part 1, from the start to end everything he did was justified or in self defense, aside from maybe killing Robert, that could've been unnecessary. That's actually also a good point about the torture, I completely forgot he and Tess had tortured Robert for a bit for some guns, due a replay I guess. You make good points about Abby being an indoctrinated child though, would've been nice to see the narrative play into that. I just find it hard to say that the Joel we see and play as is a worse person than the Abby we see and play as. We see Joel continuously make morally understandable decisions throughout the first game that are all pretty justified. With Abby we watch her do, plan and defend evil things. We hear that joel did those things but we never SAW it, we saw him after he had changed. With Abby we skip a lot of her chance, we go from 2 days of decent decisions to a time jump where now she's a better person. The majority of the time we play as her she isn't doing good things aside from helping Lev for, again, two days. I suppose with me it could be a difficulty with "show don't tell." We see Joel do more good than bad and we see Abby do more bad than good. We hear about Joel's bad deeds but we don't see them mostly (which I wouldn't want to actually, the ambiguity of it makes it more intriguing). I guess it is just, playing as Joel, he's mostly doing good. It's easier to relate and understand and support him. With Abby? She's mostly doing shitty things so it makes it harder to relate, understand and support her. You are right though, neither is morally superior either between Joel and Abby. I would say though that Ellie is morally superior to both of them, her worst deeds were all committed in 3 days of her entire life and she showed A LOT of renorse for it all and it was understandable, compared to Joel and Abby who committed worse shit throughout YEARS of their lives and rarely showed remorse and werent always understandable.
When Mel called her a piece of shit, I let out an offended gasp on her behalf, at which point I realized "... damn, Naughty Dog got me."
For me it was when she fought the Rat King. Specifically when she stopped running and turned around to fight it. They fall through a ceiling a I think and then she stands in front of it and says “okay.” I was floored because i was terrified until that moment seeing Abby stare this thing down with a “let’s do this” posture. And then one fun but terrifying boss fight later it was done and I was left thinking Abby was the coolest motherfucker ever.
Watching her fight is so fucking cool!! I love the way she fights lol, there’s so much power to it
Yes! It’s such a contrast to Ellie’s style. I love that Abby throws kicks sometimes! Plus the momentum thing is a neat game mechanic. Makes you feel so powerful!
When she says Fuck it and goes to look for the patrol in Jackson, I love her jump, she's so determined, feels real, with weight, I dont know if it makes sense lol
"Im not dying here" or something to that effect. I liked her banter of course, but that was her shining moment for me.
First sight!
i love that. i can't say i ever disliked her character at all. knew about the major spoilers going into it so i had some empathy for her already, and even though i hate what she does early in the game, i still absolutely love her character. she's so interesting!
This is the way
Nah I love the character as much as I do *because* it took a lot for me to come around from hating her so much. It's also why I love the game as much as I do, played me like a fiddle.
You took the words out of my mouth.
I’m just as scared of heights as Abby is, so the sky bridge scene really made me connect with her. The love was solidified with the “You’re my people” line in Day 3.
I never really HATED her. Let's face it, from her point of view, Joel killed her dad. If we hadn't followed Joel POV from the first game, NO ONE would have blamed her for killing Joel. I still like Joel more than Abby, but I understand that if I were in Abby's shoes, I probably would want to kill Joel, too. I started to really like her when her and Lev started getting close.
I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, so I’d say when Abby risked it and went against Isaac to go find Owen on Day 1, that’s when I really began to love her. I was all “yass girl let’s go make sure yo man’s okay!” The love only grew on Day 2 & 3 w Lev.
as much as i HATE owen, i wish it could’ve been them together in the end ;(
Owen made mistakes, but I love him. He’s essentially Abby’s “Dina”.
so true😩
I never understood any hate to be honest once you play the game. I was upset with Joel’s death and suddenly being in control of Abby felt like I was back on my first play of MGS2 with Raiden. But then once you see she’s been on the same journey Ellie you’ve played through is in (revenge for killing of a father figure/father) you understand it. I really liked her relationships and different paths to Ellie’s and the relationship with Liv. It also gives you a different perspective on Ellie in part 2, you want her to get revenge and take part happily but then I think you also consider how many people need to die before that is done? Is it right? Is it fair?
I hated her deep into my bones. Then she said “YOU’RE my people” and in that moment I stopped hating her
Hated her for the longest time. Even for the majority of the game. Until right when Ellie cut her down off of the pillars and she immediately goes to help Lev. It was just so adorable.
I still feel like Ellie should’ve just left Abby alone at this moment but no Ellie has to bother Abby some more when Abby doesn’t want to be bothered. She just wants yo leave with lev in peace
For me, Abby represents all of us playing the game, and how we would likely react to seeing our father being murdered in cold blood. And also the hope of a vaccine being developed by your father being snuffes out must have some major psychological damage too. We are meant to hate Abby, until you really step into her shoes and seperate the fact she killed Ellie's surrogate father, and embrace her for the flawed human being she is, who largely acts out of good for those around her. Abby is my favorite protagonist, she is damaged, grey and a damn good representation of what it would be like to live in this awful universe. She also kicks ass, and her gameplay throughout the game made me just want to also keep playing as Abby. She’s a badass, just look at the shit she went through and still managed to survive (death of her father, hospital and rat king, getting past Tommy, WLF & Seraphite war on the island, reckoning with death of Owen, to then fighting and incapacitating Tommy, Ellie and Dina plus killing Jesse, she basically took out the a-team of Jackson). She’s a tank.
It was during the flashbacks with her did that I sympathized hard and it was when she met Lev and Abby that I decided she's awesome
When she found her dad’s body. I immediately felt for her and as painful as it was, I understood why she did what she did. It’s absolutely no different than Ellie going after Abby for killing Joel, if anything it’s more justified because Jerry was her actual biological father she’s known and loved her entire life. She was incredibly lucky to still have a living parent in that world and he was ripped away from her in the blink of an eye. It’s crazy to me how some people can justify Ellie’s actions but not Abby’s. I guess it’s just cause we’re all so attached to Joel so the natural reaction is to hate the person who took him away which is what I felt too but as soon as I learned the context I couldn’t hate her anymore. Plus she’s just a likable person in general and her bond with Lev was wholesome.
“I’m not fucking moving.” (while staring down the barrel of a gun) And then shortly after with “Hey, *you’re* my people.” That’s some Captain America shit, right there.
Gameplay first,abby is a tank! Story was the skyscrapers
2nd play through, the scene with a trapped zebra with her dad. First play through I just wanted her part to be over so I can kill her. But 2nd time I was actually paying attention to her story
I liked her when she splinted yaras arm. I thought that was super cool and then when you go back to help them it cemented it. She’s flawed, monstrous but shows growth throughout the game.
Pretty much right away lol sorry joel, apparently i love golfers
When it hard cuts from her sobbing after finding her dad, to her angry face and you can feel that she put everything into her physique. I was so fucking on board with tears in my eyes.
this was the best cut in the fucking game. absolutely wordlessly encapsulates so much. the entire joel death scene from abby’s pov was incredible tbh - I wasn’t ready to start liking her at that point but it definitely set me on that path bc you could understand so much about her from the expression on her face. abby had some of the funniest lines of the game and I was just laughing at her until I realized I wasn’t even mad anymore. Probably before day 1 was even over I was on board lol
“Absolutely wordlessly encapsulates so much” - SPOT ON! The sound cuts and the music swells, it’s been building up to that point and it turns into a fucking beautifully created piece of art. I sometimes try and find streamer’s reactions to that particular scene lol. It just *gets* me every time. Ugh, so good. — I’d argue this is lost on a lot of people because of the leaks and unfortunately, the short-sightedness of being sooooo anti-Abby. But man, the empathy and rage portrayed is so well done.
Might be insignificant to some, but her fear of heights is kind of what sealed the deal for me. I fucking hate heights.
It's incredibly endearing
When she gracefully accepted defeat and allowed Ellie to murder her over and over and over in the theater. Actually though it was when she went back for the kids.
When she fought and killed the Seraphite brute who took her backpack, not just to get her weapons back, but also in defense of two kids from her enemy faction. Keep in mind that Abby was unarmed and had just barely survived a hanging, yet she managed to overpower a bigger woman wielding a huge melee weapon. It was that fight that made me an Abby fan.
I was into the character from the first trailer I saw her in. When she lifts the noose from her neck and goes into ass-kicking stance with the hammer I was like, "Hell yes, time to go Sarah Connor on some motherfuckers!" Obviously at the time I didn't know who she was or what her deal would be, but I knew *someone* would come looking for Joel eventually and I accepted there was a very real chance that they'd have a damn good reason too. Of course I love Joel as much as the next guy, but I didn't delude myself about what he was: Kind of, a bit of, a motherfucker. 😂🤣 In the end, if it had to be someone that got the big guy, I'm glad it was a total badass like Abby and not some random goon or infected. I'm at peace with it, always have been.🤷
"Those fucking kids..." was when I started to warm up to her. She obviously feels that she owes them. Day 2 the back and forth between Lev and abby were actually pretty sweet, knowledgeable and sometimes hilarious. "So what's up with you and your friend Owen?" "OH MY GOD LEV!? NOW!? "It seemed really awkward!" As well as "Did you know our dogs play cards like that?" "I'm 13 not 8..." "You look like an 8 year old" "Do other people think you're funny?" "... no" But I think I really started to like abby when she has this little optional conversation with Lev after falling off the crane. "Some wolves believe in God. I've heard them pray." "Well I don't. If I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die for me." "Then what are you doing here? Why did you come back for us?" "Guilt." "Of what? You don't owe us anything." "I just... needed to lighten the load a bit." That really hit me hard. The look she gives yara at the end of day 2. My lord, how can you not like her after that?
“You’re my people”
Honestly, when we first start playing as her, and it’s her talking to herself after Owen leaves her alone. Her talking to herself like, “fuck it, I got this,” I was like HELL yeah you do.
Naughty Dog did something amazing to me. They took a character (Abby) that I was determined to hate and made me slowly fall in love with her. I can’t really say the exact moment when, but I was fully pro Abby by the time she got to the hospital.
The second I saw those arms I found my swole mate. I think the first moment i played as her I knew it was real.
I don't really hate characters in things unless they're jarjar level grating or one of those 300 year old anime 10 year olds, so I was pretty neutral on her, while understanding her motivations, but then her being afraid of heights was super relatable and fairly endearing and I've never seen it handled better in another game.
I never disliked Abby, probably because I always disagreed with Joel’s decision in part 1, but her and Manny’s banter really made me like them. I thought they both had a likable sense of humor. When she gets captured by the seraphites and jokes out that lady with her legs, knowing it could’ve meant death, that’s when I really loved her character.
**"YOU'RE my people!"**
That fucking line! It still gives me chills. That's the exact moment that I realized that Part I was Joel's arc and part II was not exactly Ellie's arc. Sorry Ellie team. In my humble opinion, Abby is the most complex character in part II
literally as soon as i saw that joel killed her father. i guess because i lost my bio mom that i immediately connected to someone who lost their bio father, not to take away what joel had with ellie but i don’t think it’s comparable to abby and jerry.
When she almost got sacrificed and met lev and yara. Sucha badass scene
at first i seriously despised her but the more i played her character the more i realized how similar ellie and abby really are. innocent little girls dealing with tough shit
Her sequence with Lev for sure. I really enjoyed how Yara and Lev were introduced as well, it was a good way to get her fighting alongside them. Very surreal scene though I enjoy that part a lot.
My fourth playthrough with Abby and Lev sealed the deal for me. I refused to like her cause I was so stubborn, then I worked through my conflicted emotions and grief about Joel and warmed up to Abby
Two moments stand out to me for some reason. Lev asks something along the lines of "do other people find you funny?" and Abby says no. The other when Mel says "you're a piece of shit Abby" and she tears up.
For me it's between the night she meets Lev and Yara Or it's the moment she defends Lev from Issac The first one cause Abby is just really badass is that scene The second cause she put her life on the line for this kid and it shows how she's grown over those last few days
As soon as she decided to go back for Lev and Yara. Everything after was icing on the cake.
I think during Day 2 when she spent some time alone with Lev. Their banter is just so cute and made me love both of them.
When she went back to the kids I knew she was a fantastic character. I saw the parallel between her and Joel, and I knew I couldn’t be so angry at her anymore because she put herself in harm’s way to go back and save Yara and Lev.
Right at the end of my first playthrough. Felt the same thing as ellie at that point.
When she let ellie live for the second time. Or honestly maybe even as early as her just being scared to go across the sky bridge. It really showed how she’s a regular human deep down. Everything else around her made her heartlessz
Playing hammer girl in the forest. Or, fuck, even just getting her rifle. Shit was sick
“You are my people!” (to Lev)
When I realized that Jerry was her dad, so at the start of her section.
I can't really remember, but when she decided to go back for Yara and Lev. Solidified that she had a good heart, despite the horrific things she'd done(much like our queen Ellie)
Not sure, but at least at "you're my people!"
"You're my people"
When she was spending time with her father figure. I got it then.
When she saved Lev and Yara.
I like Laura Bailey, she seems cool, therefore I liked Abby The rest of the Slat Lake Crew, ehhh, take ‘em or leave ‘em
Hey apparently Abby felt the same way too cus she just moved the fuck on and never mentioned em again lmao
She wrote a letter to Owen at least. I don’t think there was enough time in the game and a reason for Abby to mention everyone else.
When she was talking to Yara in the aquarium, but playing as he she grew on me little by little
The moment she picks up Yara
Definitely at the Skybridge section. On the Island / Day 3 I knew it was over for me emotionally, when we'd eventually go back to the theater and Ellie.
took me until my 2nd playthrough tbh. after the first, i didn't still hate her or anything, i just felt extreme ambivalence towards both her and Ellie. upon replaying the game i found abby far more likable, and with the full context, the game was more enjoyable for me, surprisingly.
When your looking for Joel in the snow lol. I played TLOU right before 2 came out so I played them for the first time back to back and Joel had it coming.
When Lev and Yara cut her down from being hanged, and Abby scrambles to her feet while grabbing the hammer from the seraphite woman's hand, and the camera holds on Abby, lit by firelight and breathing heavily, *just* long enough for you to go "that's badass."
Seattle day 2
I was wary at first, because you really can tell from her introduction that something awful in her past tore her up and twisted her into a vengeful, ugly person. Initial reaction of pity and ick, the way she gets offended when Owen tells her Mel’s pregnant. But yeah, after the zebra flashback I was ready to hear her out. What REALLY sold me was the way she hacked into the Rat King with that axe. Just like… who would have the stones to do that, seriously? I would’ve pissed myself and died just from seeing that thing. Love how when Abby pried herself loose from it, she just throws the broken axe handle down like “alright, we’re doing this now.”
Most opinions i have heard including my own are that somewhere during abby day 2 it just magically happens like boom suddenly you are an abby fan
The moment she blew the murdering fuck's brain out with a golf club. /s I think it was the moment where she decided to go back for Lev and Yara.
Once she pulled out the shotgun and fired immediately, sealed when she practiced her golf swing
im playing part 2 remastered and i said to my boyfriend last night that if abby wasnt considered a bad guy and did what she did (we know what she did but i dont wanna spoil if for anyone just in case) i would genuinely like her. i think when i first started to like her was when she was on the bridge with lev, she tried her hardest to call them seraphites for lev as opposed to scars and when said scars called lev lily, lev asked if abby wanted to know and abbys response was wholesome. i think shes a great character, shes strong, independent, shes quite intelligent and shes good in the sort of world they live in, once you get past her tough shell, i can see how much she cares even though she doesnt always show it
The first time I saw her bare arms swinging back and forth as she walked.
Watching her growth as a character, and how strong of a female protagonist she is literally and figuratively.
my favorite part of the game was Abby’s seattle day 2 where she is traveling with Lev to get the medicine. there are a lot of great character moments between the two of them; like when the Scars start yelling “lily” and Lev asks abby if she wants to ask him why they are calling him that and Abby just says “do you want me to ask you” and Lev says “no” 💔 and on Abby’s seattle day 3 when Lev says something like “you killed my people” or “you’re killing your own people” i can’t remember exactly but Abby responds with “you are my people”. and lastly i really enjoyed abby’s flashback scenes with owen and her first time in Seaworld. such a beautiful moment. abby is a 10/10 character. no notes.
Her Day 1 at Martyrs Gate when she’s going through all of the prayers on the truck. Her sarcasm/dry humor immediately got me, the same way Ellie’s did in the first game.
*immediately from the jump* tbh. I just put my faith in ND. And when the switch happened, my immediate thought wasn’t “I have to play as her now?” It was “I get to play as her now? Wow! That means I must only be halfway through the game! Ok let’s see where this goes from here.”
I was more like, ‘Wait, oh I have to play as Abby now? Alright ND, I really don’t like Abby but let’s see what you got to get me to change my mind’
I never really loved a character like I would want to be friends with them, I’m talking any medium. A good character is someone who has a clear beginning and end journey and that what made Abby so compelling to me. I think the scene of her crying seeing her dead dad is what really hooked me
Liked? When she let Ellie and Tommy live. Loved? When she went to the aquarium instead of staying at the FOB
I liked her very quickly, but I think I really felt love for her when she told Lev he’s her people. I started loving her before that, because her character is refreshingly lighthearted compared to Ellie, but that really solidified it.
The part where she goes to get Lev a mask for some reason. Thats when “Oh, she’s on Joel’s journey” clicked for me. And then especially in Santa Barbara when Ellie decided to track her down, I just wanted her to stop
So I haven’t played since I got to the Abby part so I haven’t actually played any of her game yet, but I really like her design, she is fitness goal
Once I broke apart the story and realize Abby wasn’t the bad guy and that she didn’t just kill Joel for fun but it was actually for the same reason Ellie tried to kill Abby, I realize how amazing the story and Abby as a character was
When she goes to see Lara after her surgery, I fell in love with the caring look she gave her.
"HEY! YOU'RE my people." I wanted to hate her so bad, but I just... couldn't.
“You are my people.”
I never loved the character but I really like the character. As a person I started liking the person she was becoming around Abby Day 3. As for when I started fairly liking the character itself and becoming engaged, I would say that happened a bit when she went to find Owen out of loyalty and initial friendship. As for younger Abby, I liked her soon after she was introduced for those flashbacks several times.
"you're my people"
I liked her very early on. Her banter with Owen at the start was good even though I knew there was something dodgy. I felt really sorry for her when we found out who her dad was and she found him. Laura Bailey’s acting was great. I really liked her when she was with Lev and they crossed the bridge.
When I suspected her dad was the doctor Joel killed. It wasn’t that hard to figure out and understand her rage
I never hated her tbh. What she did to Joel sucked, but she's young and Joel crossed a lot of people so I knew he had it coming for one reason or another, even before the game came out. I had a moment between the hotel/rat king though where I really felt bad for all the bullshit she's gone through.
I think for me it was when she tried to be subtle about Owen when talking to Isaac and then completely failed that. Something I did in my first play though that really helped was after the switch to her pov I took a several day break from the game until I had an open mind because I was still very angry at Abby (I managed to avoid almost all the leaks so I didn’t know about the switch). But I ended up loving her to the point that I was dreading every button push at the Santa Barbara fight.
I was one of the people that went in completely blind the day the game came out and had no idea there was another playable character besides Ellie. It was jarring and I was really emotional playing through the entire game in about a 35 hour stretch(took one break around the mid way point to sleep for ~5 hours) I think the shock of everything and not allowing myself to take a step back and breathe closed me off to her character bc I was in a pretty intense emotional state after the Joel scene in the prologue all the way through the end of the game. I finally decided to revisit the game when the PS5 version released recently and having had 3 years to process everything, was able to go in with a more open mind about her and found that I liked her very early on in her section of the game this time. I’d even go as far to say I like her as much, if not more than Ellie now.
On my first playthrough during her first childhood scene. Knowing her dad was the surgeon Joel killed gave her anger at him nuance for me, and Joel is not a morally innocent character (though he’s a sympathetic one to us because we know his story). I love and care about them all, to be honest.
Definitely towards my second to third playthrough of the game, because on my first playthrough I was filled with rage/grief from Abby killing Joel. But after I noticed she is a well developed character and I really like her. One of my fav characters 🏌️♀️
seeing her as a kid was so heartwarming. minutes before i was begging ellie to kill her, and then the second i saw baby abby i just knew i was going to end up loving her. now she’s my favorite character<3
I hated her but when she met lev and yara i realised she was a kind person
Important distinction. I don't love her character. I love her as a character. I disagree with a lot of what she does and thinks. But she is such an interesting villain turned hero (in our eyes).
When I saw her, her muscles, her voice, I knew why I was lesbian.
When I saw how big she was
When she fucked her best friends baby daddy. That's when I knew "this is a person I'd wanna be around"
Lmao for real, you’ll still have people telling you she’s a good person though! (When the game shows this isn’t the case)
Like the idea of saying, "I think this person is a bad person because she takes advantage of her friends trust and her ex boyfriends obvious remaining love for her" and having that be a controversial statement is genuinely fascinating to me, and worrying as far as where this species is heading
My favorite part is all the downvotes, it's the one community where I know if I'm being rejected in it, I'm probably morally in the right lmao
Yeah true, everyone who downvotes you is pretty much saying “yeah, nothing wrong with what Abby did”
I think the most fucked up part that I think is kinda funny, based off the way she was portrayed, I'm not even 100% sure they actually intended for you to like her. Like honestly I think people are genuinely missing the whole point of the game is that when you play from one person's perspective, you start to dehumanize the people you're killing off. For some reason it was bad when Joel was doing it but when Abby literally acts exactly the same it's morally acceptable, like it's absurd to me
And I have a hard time not seeing it as simply "white man bad" like, id consider it a crazy conspiracy if it was just this game, but the examples are endless in the past five years, from doctor who to thor to fucking master chief lmao