The season 2 finale of The Last of Us finds Ellie on the hunt for Abby, but the situation in Seattle is worsening.
Isaac Dixon, the leader of the Washington Liberation Front, takes the war to the Seraphites/Scars by heading to their island with his men (Abby is M.I.A.). Ellie also winds up there and is captured by the Scars after her boat capsizes.
They're about to hang and gut her, but an explosion in the distance distracts them (as Isaac presumably unleashes hell on the savage group of survivors). Following that largely pointless diversion, Ellie makes her way back to the mainland, where she confronts Mel and Owen.
She inadvertently kills the two of them and is horrified to realise that Mel was pregnant. It seems her desire for revenge has been extinguished, but after reuniting with Tommy, Jesse, and Dina, there's a commotion, and Jesse is shot and killed.
It's Abby; she's there to avenge her friends and holds a gun to Joel's brother. Ellie pleads with her to leave him alone, pointing out that she's the one Abby wants. Abby, confused that Ellie would hunt her down after she let her live, points her gun at Ellie, and the screen goes black as a gunshot rings out.
With that, we're taken to the WLF base with Abby...it's Seattle "Day One" again, confirming season 3 of The Last of Us will explore the same few days as this season, albeit from Abby's point of view instead.
That lines up with the game, but with likely upwards of a year until The Last of Us returns to HBO, that does make this ending feel a little unsatisfying. It's also asking a lot of audiences to follow Abby's story as Ellie will inevitably be sidelined, and with the flashbacks done, there's no room for Pedro Pascal's Joel.
The Last of Us season 2's returning cast includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria.
Other announced new additions include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.
In our The Last of Us season 2 review, we concluded with, "Pedro Pascal is a force to be reckoned with in The Last of Us, and with Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced matching him beat for beat, season 2 is a powerful, rousing triumph that cements this series as the best video game adaptation ever."
What did you think about The Last of Us' season 2 finale?