The Last of Us Season 2 Ending, Explained

The Last of Us Season 2 has come to an end, but it's only just one side of the story. Following a rather tremendous work of television in Episode 6

The entirety of Season 2 has been leading up to a showdown between Ellie and Abby after the latter killed Joel so viciously that it scarred Ellie emotionally and physically. In showing her journey in Seattle to hunt down Abby, 

The Last of Us wants viewers to question their loyalty. Is Ellie bound to repeat the cycle of violence that Joel tried to break after his own father? Is every action she takes to avenge Joel completely justified? Set against the background of the WLF and Seraphite war, these questions are intentionally tough to crack. There's one thing to be sure of, though: everything has a consequence, just as Ellie learns in the Season 2 finale.

Ellie Shows Her Worst Colors to Jesse

At the end of Season 2, Episode 5

Dina isn't the only one who's seeing more of who Ellie is. Now that Jesse's in Seattle, he takes the leadership role to find Tommy and get out before anyone dies, including the mother of his child. Ellie and Jesse have never seen eye to eye, and even in a moment where Jesse tells a vulnerable story about a woman he fell in love with, they go right back to square one of the usual competition of self-importance. Things come to a head when they reach a fork in the path. Jesse wants to save Tommy, and Ellie wants to chase after Abby. 

Jesse reveals to Ellie that he never voted to go to Seattle in Season 2, Episode 3, to which Ellie reacts by dismissing the community's needs and calling Jesse a hypocrite for letting a Seraphite teenager die.

Despite Tommy potentially being in danger, Ellie goes after Abby. To many, this would be the moment that they fully disengage from Ellie's mission. If she's so uncaring of Tommy's well-being, then her morality has gone down the drain. But things only get worse from here. Ellie confronts Mel and Owen at the aquarium about Abby's location. 

It ends horribly when Ellie shoots Owen as he grabs his gun, killing him instantly and nicking Mel's throat. Slowly bleeding out, Mel reveals she's heavily pregnant and asks Ellie to perform a C-section operation. A frightened Ellie freezes, not knowing what to do, and Mel dies. Ellie finally realizes things have gone too far.

The WLF and Seraphites Prepare for a Final Fight

While this is going on, the WLF prepares to infiltrate the Seraphites in what they hope is the final act of the war. 

The Last of Us Part II, the video game the second season is based on, goes more in-depth about Isaac's plans. The WLF uses the storm as a front to ambush the Seraphites on their own island, in the hopes of wiping them out once and for all.

Ellie gets caught in the middle when she crashes on the Seraphite island and is nearly killed by a few of them, until a horn sets off a warning signal in the village.

Elise, the WLF sergeant whose son was infected by spores, questions Isaac's fixation on Abby, even wondering if he has a crush on her. He laughs it off and then explains that tonight, both he and Elise will likely be killed in the fight. His only hope for the WLF's future is for Abby to lead its army, but according to Elise, she's abandoned the group. More than likely, Season 3 will go deeper into this conflict and Abby's reasoning for leaving.

Seattle Day 3 Ends With a Tragedy

Abby does, however, show up in the Season 2 finale after being absent since Episode 2. Jesse and Tommy find Ellie at the aquarium and return to the theater, where the three discuss the path home as Dina rests from her injury. Tommy tries to reassure a guilt-ridden Ellie that Mel and Owen willingly went along with Abby to kill Joel, and their fates were decided a long time ago. But it's not enough for Ellie. Abby is still alive. Ellie says she'll have to make peace with it, but she's not happy about it.

As luck would have it, Abby shows up at the theater. It's convenient timing for Ellie, but not so much for Jesse. Ellie and Jesse race toward the lobby when they hear a commotion, yet as soon as they open the door, Abby shoots Jesse in the face. 

She has Tommy pinned down and Ellie at gunpoint, while Jesse's dead body lies on the ground. At least his final conversation was him making things right with Ellie.

The Last of Us Goes Back in Time for Season 3

This is the moment that Ellie's been waiting for, and clearly it's not how she wanted it to go. Ellie explains to Abby that she killed Mel and Owen, not Tommy, and to let him go. Abby repeats to Ellie, "I let you live, and you wasted it," before shooting at Ellie. The scene cuts to black before showing the outcome of the face-off, jumping back in time.

In the final scene, Manny wakes Abby up in a library to tell her they need to meet with Isaac. She leaves the room to reveal the WLF's main base: a flourishing stadium transformed into a community. The text on the screen reads, "Seattle Day 1" as she ponders from a balcony. 

The Last of Us is shifting gears to look through the eyes of Ellie's greatest enemy. Just as The Last of Us Part II did, Season 3 will likely solely focus on Abby's story in those three days leading up to her confronting Ellie.

 This not only means a more thoughtful arc that rounds out Abby far beyond the woman who killed Joel, but also the possible introduction of Lev and Yara to show the Seraphites' nuance. But how fans will react to such a change is The Last of Us' biggest mystery yet.