Yes, there are many complaints about this game's plot, for me, I saw what this game is trying to achieve.
I'll talk about the bad side of the plot first, Joel is dead because he let his guard down. That' is.
The good side? which is what you think is the bad side. This game is a success for letting gamer to be CONNECTED again just like the last of us one.
When Joel died, we are seeking revenge just like Ellie did. The way we feel anger and furious, unable to do 'anything' to change the fact, unable to accept that we unable to save Joel. The last of us 2 is all about revenge as the main theme. Abby revenge Joel, Ellie revenge Abby, Then what? Lev revenge Ellie? Then what? Lina or her son revenge Lev. This is what the game trying to bring it out.
Human Brain - Unacceptance/Disconnected
okay, let's skip the moral part. In the end, Ellie choose to let Abby go, this is where we 'Disconnect' with Ellie, and we feel furious again. Noted that we felt furious when Joel died and Abby is still alive. The furious is came from our unacceptance. Well, you can accept Joel killed lots of non-bandit and non-clickers in the last of us 1, which are doctors and the soldier due to his own 'selfishness', and you might feel okay or even happy with it. So take some time to think about why you cannot accept the same thing happen to us back? can't the doctors' family felt sad? In the last of us 2, did u heard their alias scream the name when you killed someone? Revenge is what Ellie and you was thinking during this game, and we cannot denied that the power of revenge is keeping people alive. But, what after revenge? Is it getting CONFUSE to you? and you start to felt something strange and turnout the outcome is anger?
Human Brain - the dichotomy
Abby and Ellie felt the same when their family died. Why did u choose to put empathy on Ellie?? What if u start to put empathy on both? did you felt furious and anxious again? this is how we perfect this world. Either good or bad, true or false, Abby or Ellie, but why Ellie? can't we choose both? Oh, but? erm? this strange feelings is what we hate, since we, our brain need to classify both clearly, else? reject it by feeling bad
The last sense, Lev was standing and watching Abby and Ellie fighting? The Abby died, Lev might regret letting Ellie go in the beginning, the revenge might be stronger than Ellie, the cycle starts over again.
For me, this game is a great success.
You still cannot get over revenge and felt angry after this game, because of unable to accept ELLIE action?
You still cannot get over revenge and felt angry after this game, because of why do I felt a strange feeling like confuse during this game?
If you still angry for not revenging? Congrat, you felt the game