I just love how they play with the lights in this show, when he faces marlene his eyes look dark, the lightning makes him look quite terrifying, he looks like ruthless and hard, you see how marlene sees him. Incapable of love and selfish. Then you get him looking at Tess, he looks human again, his eyes have feelings behind them, the lightning is on his face and you dont have any extra shadows to make him look dark. He is burdend with the weight of the world on his shoulders, you kind of get a perspective of how Tess sees him. Im reading way too deep into this I know but I love it.
We see Sarah take care of Joel almost as much as he takes of her (Giving him Vitamin C, making breakfast, knowing general knowledge he doesn’t, telling him his shirt is inside out, insisting he has some kind of birthday celebration). But her acknowledging that obviously hurts him a bit. Even before the apocalypse, he was a Dad clearly trying his best but not always able to do everything he wanted.
When he can’t save Sarah it just confirms his absolute worst fears - that he will never be able to do enough and that it’s his daughter who suffers.
Then he meets Ellie, begins to take on a parental role, and it feels like it’s happening again. He can’t always protect her. She has to figure a lot out on her own.
His conversation with Tommy about failing “her” is about Ellie but it goes all the way back to Sarah, of course.
Once again, one of his girls is taking on the responsibility. She’s reassuring *him* that everything will be fine, that she still sees a future together even though she’s the one that is going to have to make sacrifices and it should probably be the other way round.
It’s also why he is so still and sure in the hospital. He knows how he can help his daughter this time, and he sure as hell isn’t going to let that opportunity go by.
