u/Delphinftw

In Half-Life 2, Gordon was missing for many years (he got from HL1 to HL2 instantly), but people like Barney and Eli barely react when he shows up again. I would expect something like "wtf what GORDONN??? WHAT? Oh MY GOD WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Is there any real in-universe reason for this, or is it just because the game skips over it for pacing/mystery?