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Within the last decade, there has been an emerging theme throughout many forms of media – found fatherhood. Some of the most popular IPs in the mainstream media have instances of this trope. Whether it’s Joel and Ellie in “The Last of Us” or Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian, this relationship dynamic has found its way into the spotlight. The theme is formulaic, but the spins on the dynamic seem to grab attention in a unique way. Fatherhood in media has had a variety of portrayals. Between absentee fathers and gentle/kind dads, paternal relationships are integral to many family-based dramas. In these instances, however, the apparent focus of the stories isn’t necessarily family. Still, found fatherhood is an effective and moving trope that seems to be catching attention in the zeitgeist.
Joel And Ellie
“The Last of Us” (2013) is a horror/adventure video game rooted in zombie-apocalyptic storytelling, but the relationship between Joel (Troy Baker) and Ellie (Ashley Johnson) takes center stage in a complex way. Joel’s part in the relationship is particularly intriguing. Before meeting Ellie, he had a biological daughter named Sarah, who the player meets and controls in the game’s opening scenes. She tragically dies before the apocalypse takes hold, leaving Joel practically alone. With his fatherhood lost, Joel is cynical and bitter. Years pass and, eventually, Joel meets Ellie, a girl who is mysteriously immune to the zombie virus that plagues the world. At first, Joel is cold towards her. He sees her as a burden, as a liability to his survival. But, slowly but surely, the pair grows closer together. Their bond grows incrementally, with Ellie proving her usefulness to Joel while also reminding him of his more paternal instincts. While the danger of the apocalypse took his biological daughter away from him, it brings Ellie closer to him.
One of the most striking moments of their relationship comes in the game’s “Winter Chapter,” wherein their bond as foster father and daughter is solidified. The chapter comes off the tail end of a heated argument between the two. Joel claims that Ellie is not his daughter and that he “sure as hell ain’t [her] dad.” While it is a hurtful exchange for both sides, the scene is vulnerable and shows a raw moment that comes with the territory of fatherhood and paternal relationships. With that context established, the end of the “Winter Chapter” is even more poignant. With Joel sidelined by an injury, Ellie provides for him and begins to nurse him back to health. During this time, she encounters David, a leader of a group of cannibals. He captures her and eventually traps her in a burning restaurant, promising to kill her. As the chapter closes, Ellie is able to kill David. Joel walks in just as the deed is being done. At this point, the girl is a mess of tears. He kneels, and for the first time, the two lovingly embrace each other. He rocks her back and forth, comforting her. The picture “The Last of Us” gives us is touching, but more importantly, it is a culmination of Joel’s fatherhood being fully realized. This is symbolized in his calling Ellie “baby girl,” a title formerly reserved only for Sarah. At this instant, their bond is indelible, and the mark they have on each other is one of dedication and familial love. The raw emotion in the scene is palpable, and the player can’t help but connect to the sense of family.
Their relationship, however, is not perfect. In fact, it is far from it. Joel’s fatherhood is manipulative, with half-truths and lies being thrown about. The most heinous lie comes from the end of the game. Ellie’s immunity to the virus makes her the possible key to finding a cure. When Joel delivers her to the scientists that are going to extract said cure, he finds out that the procedure will kill her. His attachment to her, at this point, is undeniably close. Instead of advancing the procedure, Joel opts to go on a killing spree. He murders dozens of the group before killing the scientists and abducting Ellie. When she asks him what went wrong, he simply tells her that they ‘gave up.’ While this is a show of devotion for his newfound daughter, Joel has rid the world of its chance to be cured of the plague. This stripping of Ellie’s agency is important. On both sides of the coin, the scientists didn’t tell her the risk, and Joel didn’t let her decide. This aspect of his fatherhood is manipulative and wrong. While he’s found his role in her life, he’s not perfect. The loss of Sarah breaks Joel and drives his controlling nature over Ellie. At the end of the day, he does what he thinks is best for Ellie without giving her, or anyone else, a say in the matter.
Din Djarin And Grogu
When The Mandalorian (2019-; Jon Favreau) introduces its eponymous character Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to the audience, it introduces them to a cold and calculated bounty hunter. Even when he first meets Grogu (better known as ‘Baby Yoda’), he is nonchalant and unaffectionate. Much like Joel and Ellie, the relationship begins as an ends to a mean, without any form of fatherhood or paternal relationships. Din’s job is to deliver the child to the Empire for undisclosed purposes. When the time comes to deliver the child and get his reward, Din hesitates and steals the child back, rescuing him from apparent doom. It is in this decision we see that perhaps the protagonist isn’t as cold as previously portrayed. Grogu starts as a mystery, both to Din and the audience. A creature that holds both immense power and is seemingly helpless at the same time. That concept lays the groundwork for the relationship between Grogu and Din. At first, Din acts as simply a guardian, but an obviously more paternal spin is taken as the two spend time together. A key moment is the linguistic switch the Mandalorian makes in season one. He stops calling Grogu ‘it’ and begins recognizing the child as a sentient baby rather than something he has to tote around.
Throughout both seasons of the show, one of the most important plot points is Din’s growing sense of fatherhood and responsibility towards Grogu. The most emblematic scene of this bond comes in the season one finale. The Armorer, a matriarchal figure within Din’s sect, tells him that “by creed until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father. This is the way.” (( “Redemption.” The Mandalorian, season 1, episode 8, 27 Dec. 2019 )) Now, by the law of his people, Din is the child’s foster father. While he has already been acting as one, the naming of this relationship is important, and in season two, it is even more palpable. Their relationship is tied to two physical objects. One, the Mudhorn sigil, which represents their warrior clan and commitment to each other, and two, the small silver ball which Grogu enjoys playing with. The ball is tied to the innocence of childhood, which Din at first doesn’t allow the child to relish. As he grows both in his willingness to raise Grogu and thus in his own brand of fatherhood, he gives the ball to Grogu and lets him play with it. The balance of Mandalorian war culture and childlike sense of wonder between the two shows that they have an effect on each other, one that creates a bond that stands alongside others within the Star Wars universe and beyond. More tender moments between the two include Din having Grogu learn how to wire a ship or passing the ball back and forth as force training. The more time they spend together, the more the bond grows into a recognizable family unit.
Finally, the most staggering emotional moment between the two comes when Din breaks his creed for the boy. In an emotional sequence during season two’s finale (( “The Rescue.” The Mandalorian, season 2, episode 8, 18 Dec. 2020 )), Din must say goodbye to Grogu after Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) comes to train him. At this point, the child has never seen his adopted father’s face. As the Mandalorian says goodbye, he lifts his helmet, and with tearful eyes, tells Grogu, “don’t be afraid.” The notion isn’t grand, but it holds deep meaning. This is the first time Din has willingly broken his clan’s code and shown his face to someone. It is fitting that he makes the exception for the one he loves the most. In a moment that seems synonymous with sending a child off to school for the first time, Din watches with a mixture of pride, sadness, and love as he watches his son go away to find the best version of himself. Din’s fatherhood, while perhaps not quite as affectionate as Joel’s, is supportive and wholesome.
What Makes The Trope Work?
Put simply, the emotion of the trope hooks viewers in. Found family is already one of the most popular plot hooks for ensemble stories, so it makes sense that found fatherhood would work as well. What is particularly interesting is the array of fathers portrayed. The trope is neither an indictment of fatherhood nor is it a celebration. For example, Joel is an extremely unhealthy father, while Din is a mostly wholesome dad. They couldn’t be more different in their brands of fatherhood, but their respective instances of media are prevalent and critically acclaimed. What makes found fatherhood particularly interesting is that the audience learns about the characters at the same speed their counterparts do.
How each individual reacts to external or internal relationship-based stimuli shapes their dynamic while also shaping the audience’s perception of their characters. This fluctuating progression adds to the drama of the works they take place in, drawing attention and raising the stakes. While not necessarily new, found fatherhood seems to be cropping up more and more, with shows such as Sweet Tooth (Netflix, 2021) and The Bad Batch (Disney+ 2021-) playing their own spins on it.