The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Delivers Heartbreak And A Major Shift in Focus

The second season of The Last Of Us certainly did not hold back with its finale. This episode was a brutal, bloody end to what has been a difficult journey for Ellie. It also sets up a huge shift for the series going forward. Abby has been mostly in the background since she killed Joel. Now, she comes back with a violent bang, leaving us with an emotional cliffhanger that I am still thinking about. Just like season one's ending, this episode packs a lot into under 50 minutes. Lives are lost, and some big truths are revealed. The war between the WLF and the Seraphites also reaches a fever pitch. Amid all the chaos, The Last of Us highlights its most important idea: revenge always has a cost.

In the final moments of the season two finale, Abby gives Ellie a harsh comment right before her gun goes off. Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever) vanished from the show after killing Joel in episode 2. She has been out of sight as Ellie went on her revenge tour through Seattle. Abby is still missing for most of the finale too. She only returns for a cruel ending sequence where she shoots Jesse in the head. She also holds Tommy at gunpoint. And it seems she shoots Ellie too, all very quickly. She had spared Ellie's life before at the lodge outside of Jackson. Now, three of her friends are dead because of her mercy. This certainly raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Before we dive into the intense reunion between Ellie and Abby, let's look at what happened during this eventful third day in Seattle. Last week’s episode reminded us of the relationship Ellie lost when Abby killed Joel. This finale presents a single-minded Ellie, whose goal is clearer than ever. She explains to Dina that she made Nora tell her Abby’s location. Nora only said "whale" and "wheel." Ellie then just let Nora get taken by the infection. Ellie told Dina, "I thought it would be harder to do. But it wasn’t. It was easy. I just kept hurting her." This shows a dark side of Ellie we have been seeing more of. The more time Ellie and Dina spend in Seattle, the more Ellie focuses on making Abby pay. This is true no matter how much danger it puts Ellie or her friends in.

Ellie's Dark Path Continues As She Struggles With Her Humanity And Choices

The Confrontation With Nora Highlights Ellie's Willingness To Go To Extremes

Ellie's sense of right and wrong is getting blurrier. She might not even realize it herself. She still has some of her old desire to help people, but she is trying to act like Joel would. When Ellie and Jesse leave a recovering Dina at the theater to look for Tommy, Ellie almost puts them in danger. She tries to save a young Seraphite from a group of Wolves. This leads to a strong moment between Ellie and Jesse. Jesse makes Ellie confirm Dina’s pregnancy. This raises the stakes for his own survival since he is now a soon-to-be father.

Ellie tries to step in when WLF soldiers get ready to kill the Seraphite. But Jesse stops her. Jesse tells her "Ellie, these people are shooting each other, lynching each other, ripping each other’s guts out. Even the kids. I am not dying out here. Not for any of them. This is not our war." He has a good point, especially in this situation. It makes no sense for the always bold Ellie to risk their lives when they are outnumbered. Yet their talk about morals does not stop there. This conversation really made me think about who is right and wrong in this world.

Later, Ellie and Jesse figure out where a mystery sniper is attacking the WLF. They think it has to be Tommy. But at the same time, Ellie sees an aquarium in the distance. It has a Ferris wheel and a whale mural. She realizes what Nora’s clues meant. Ellie tries to get Jesse to leave Tommy behind and go after Abby. During their argument, Jesse reveals he voted against the Jackson council's idea to send a group after Abby and her crew. He says "Ellie, it wasn’t in the best interest of the community."

"Forget the community!" Ellie screams back. "All you do is talk about the community. You are a hypocrite. You think you are good and I am bad? You let a kid die today, Jesse. Because why? He was not in your community? Let me tell you about my community. My community was beaten to death in front of me while I was forced to watch." This dramatic exchange feels a bit forced, but Ellie's outburst is basically what the show is saying about this dying world. Tribalism, or groups only caring about their own, is what keeps tearing everything apart, maybe even more than the infected. This has been a theme since season one, with groups like Kathleen’s raiders and David’s cannibals. Now, the WLF and Seraphites are at war, showing this idea even more. And as Ellie points out, Jackson is no different, even if it does not have ritualistic executions.

Ellie's Grim Encounters Lead To The Season's Most Unforgettable Moments

The Aquarium Scene And Jesse's Fate Change Everything For Ellie's Journey

Ellie’s argument, to me, feels a bit weak. The show quickly sets up another clash with the Seraphites to prove Jesse’s point. After Ellie and Jesse go their separate ways, Ellie steals a WLF boat. She crosses the stormy water to get to the aquarium. But a huge wave overturns her boat. She washes ashore on an island off Seattle. There, she finds an even younger Seraphite kid. This kid quickly gives her up to be hanged and gutted. However, right before the Seraphites kill Ellie, they hear an alarm about an attack on their village. They just leave her behind. As Ellie finds her boat to continue her journey, she sees explosions far away. The same war Jesse told her to stay out of just saved her.

Earlier in the episode, Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), the WLF leader, came back for a scene. He talks with Elise Park, the WLF officer who had to sacrifice her son in the infected hospital basement in episode 5. Elise tells Isaac about the last plans for the attack and mentions the big storm they are using for cover. They do not say any specifics, but it is clear this battle is very important for the WLF. Isaac is ready to die in it. Still, he is more worried about Abby’s location. One of his best soldiers, and a possible next leader for the WLF, has gone missing at the most important time.

The WLF’s attack on the Seraphites’ island brings season 2 full circle. Ellie’s revenge mirrors Abby’s quest in Jackson. Just as Abby used a snowstorm and an infected horde to find and kill Joel, Ellie is now using another big weather event and battle to go after Abby. But first, she has to go through Owen and Mel. In The Last of Us Part II game, Ellie killing Owen and Mel is one of the most upsetting parts. The show makes it even more heartbreaking. When Ellie gets to the aquarium, Owen and Mel are arguing about Abby. Ellie steps out of the shadows with her gun. She uses an old trick Joel used when questioning captives. She tells them to point to Abby’s location on a map to compare their answers.

But Owen grabs his gun to shoot her instead. Ellie fires her weapon back. She kills Owen instantly. She accidentally nicks Mel’s neck too. It is only after Mel falls to the floor and unzips her jacket to show the bulge in her belly that Ellie realizes Mel is pregnant. This happens just one day after Ellie learned Dina is expecting a child. As blood pours from her neck, Mel begs Ellie to get a knife. She tries to tell Ellie how to do an emergency C-section. In seconds, Ellie goes from being Mel’s questioner to a makeshift doctor. She tries hard to follow Mel’s instructions to deliver her baby. But Ellie is too scared to cut into Mel’s stomach. She is also in too much shock to act. So Mel dies along with her unborn child. Her last words are "Is it out?" This is a crushing act, even if it was an accident. Ellie is very shaken by it. She had told Dina how easy it was to hurt Nora. But Ellie is still struggling to keep her humanity as she loses herself, right after losing Joel. All she can do is sit on the floor next to Mel’s and Owen’s bodies until Tommy and Jesse arrive to take her back to the theater.

The Season 2 Finale's Shocking Cliffhanger Sets Up A Dramatic Season 3

The Story Will Take A Major Turn, Focusing On Another Character's Perspective

As tragic as Abby’s friends’ deaths are, this scene is not even the last upsetting moment of the episode. Soon after Ellie, Tommy, and Jesse meet up with Dina at the theater, they get a visit from a surprising guest: Abby herself. When Ellie and Jesse hear a struggle in another room, they rush out of the auditorium. Jesse gets shot in the face as soon as they open the door. Abby holds Tommy at gunpoint. Ellie throws her pistol aside. She finally faces Joel’s killer. She puts her fate in Abby’s hands again. "No, I did," Ellie says. "I was looking for you. I did not mean to hurt them. I know why you killed Joel. He did what he did to save me. I am the one that you want." After Abby reminds Ellie of her earlier mercy, she points and fires her gun at Ellie. Then the screen cuts to black. It is a terrible cliffhanger, but another scene follows.

Like the two previous episodes, this finale ends with a short hint of what is next for The Last of Us. But instead of waiting just a week for the next episode, viewers will have to wait until season 3 is released, whenever that may be. The final scene shows Abby. Manny abruptly wakes her up to go meet Isaac. As she leaves the building and the rain starts, we see the WLF’s impressive setup in the middle of a stadium they are using. And then, as the music gets louder, text appears on the screen. It tells us we are going back in time: "Seattle Day One."

This ending clearly shows that season 3 will change its focus. The Last of Us is ready to become Abby’s story. If the show follows the game’s story, which it seems to be doing, season 3 will likely cover the same three days in Seattle that season 2 did. But this time, it will be from Abby’s point of view. While the finale is exciting in many ways, it can also be a bit challenging to watch. This is because a lot of information is held back on purpose. It also feels like a long time since we saw some of these characters. Isaac and Elise mention the WLF’s big attack on the Seraphites. They also talk about how Abby and her friends have gone missing. But we do not see any of this happen on screen. The ending of the episode, however, suggests that all of this context will come later. When it does, it will definitely make us see the events of this finale in a new way. But we will have to wait until next season for that.

The show is staying true to its original material in how it paces the story. But the time it will take for a payoff in season 3 will need some extra patience from viewers. The Last of Us season 2 had some great moments, including a powerful second episode. It remains one of the best shows on TV. This is thanks to its amazing sets, realistic effects, and great cast. It also shows a sad look at love and how dangerous it can be. But season 2 also shows the difficulties of adapting the harder parts of the second game. Show co-creator Craig Mazin said season 3 might have more episodes than season 2. He also said they might even extend the story to a season 4 instead of trying to finish it all in the next season. He explained that Joel's death was such a "narrative nuclear bomb" that it is hard to move away from it quickly. It is not like they can just do a Bill and Frank story again.

Mazin also hinted that they cannot finish the entire story in a third season. He hopes they will "earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth." As The Last of Us moves into a new chapter, Joel might be gone, but there is still a lot of rich story to tell. There is also potential to make it even bigger. Even after all the pain Ellie and Abby have caused each other, their rivalry is not over yet.