bill is by far the funniest companion just bc the order of events before she learns the doctor is an alien. like the normal progression is
meet weird person -> weird person turns out to be an alien -> be dazzled by the wonders of space and time
meanwhile bills is
professor at the uni u work at pays for ur tuition -> u have to write a weird super specific essay each week -> develop genuine friendship w prof -> gf gets turned into space oil -> prof is an alien -> find out prof has a sex dungeon (?) under ur university -> u still have to write an essay every week
I've got my own thoughts about the Burning Shores, but I don't think Aloy falling for someone is out of character, because they've been slowly building up to that moment in HFW:
This extremely awkward conversation with Avad, who is trying to court her (a reminder that people are romantically interested in her)
Zo and Varl's relationship - I personally don't think her reaction was necessarily jealousy, just her being confronted with the possibility of falling for someone for the first time (after years of living as an outcast)
Finding out about Elizabeth's past relationship with Tilda, and that she wasn't as untouchable as she thought her to be
And finally, her conversation with Talanah at Barren Light about first love (or crush) - all but predicting BS
She simply found a home with people that she loves and trusts, and now feels safe enough to open her heart for the first time.
I realize not everyone may be aware of this, so I just wanna bring it up. The Last of Us was not just voice acted; the game was primarily shot via performance/motion capture.
I don't mean to imply that voice acting is less (because I too love voice acting, and many performance capture actors are indeed voice actors). But I wanna emphasize that Troy Baker (Joel), Ashley Johnson (Ellie), Annie Wersching (Tess), Merle Dandridge (Marlene), Nolan North (David), and every one of these amazing actors EMBODIED their characters physically as well as emotionally, on top of warping their voices as they act. They lived in their characters' skins for months, some even years. They care about these characters so much, especially Ashley and Troy, who over the years have even cried during interviews when talking about Joel and Ellie and their relationship. As game creator Neil Druckmann once said, "No one cares more about Joel than I do... except maybe Troy Baker." Ashley Johnson also noted years ago, "No one is more protective of these characters than [me, Neil, and Troy]."
I just love the small nods the game actors get in this live-action adaptation - with Troy playing James, Ashley playing Anna, and Merle staying on as Marlene. They're so beloved by the fandom, and I think it's a great way to honor what they brought to the franchise. This post got cheesy so fast, but seeing Troy on screen this week, knowing how much of himself is in this franchise, was lovely to see. Waiting for Ashley and Merle for the finale is exciting. And I just wanted more people to know about them.