We are less than a month away from the season 2 premiere of The Last of Us on HBO and MAX. Audiences are excited to find out what's happened to Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) since the events of the heart-stopping season 1 finale.
Last we checked in, Joel and Ellie were settling down in the well-fortified town of Jackson, Wyoming, surrounded by other survivors of the zombie apocalypse and even surviving family members. You'd think think life there would be smoother than in a quarantine zone or on the open road, but this world can be unforgiving. If you've played The Last of Us Part II, the video game on which this next season of the show is based, you know exactly how bad it can be.
Today, we are going to talk about all the moments we believe are coming in season 2 that will undeniably break audiences. Reader beware: there will be MAJOR SPOILERS ahead!
1. Ellie uncovers the truth
The one thing that could have possibly destroyed everything Joel and Ellie built was the lie he had been harboring about what happened at the hospital during the season 1 finale. Joel learns that the Fireflies may be able to create a cure for the zombie pathogen that has destroyed the world...but if they can perform lethal surgery on Ellie, the only person known to be immune. He makes the difficult decision to save her, but to do so he kills nearly every person in the hospital.
Afterward, he spins a lie that the hospital was attacked by zombies and that they had to get out. Ellie is suspicious but lets it go...until the truth is unveiled. We can see in the trailers that has found out the truth and is angry with Joel for keeping it from her.
Considering both characters had lost loved ones before and became almost solely dependent on each other, this was a crushing, brutal blow to their surrogate father-daughter relationship. The truth winds up changing both of their lives forever, often for the worst.
2. Joel's tragic death
Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us Part II was released for the PlayStation 4 in 2020. That said, whether you played the game or not, you probably have an inkling of what's coming, as discussion around it was furious and loud at the time.
Perhaps one of the most controversial moves in video game history is Joel's horrific death at the hands of Abby, who seeks revenge for Joel killing her father at the Firefly hospital. She is successful, but at what cost?
Joel's death spurs endless tragedy and loss for both Ellie and Abby. Although Joel can be characterized as an anti-hero, having gone from being a hardworking, loving father to a man doing almost anything to survive, audiences have been captivated by him, both in the video game and on the show.
Considering Pedro Pascal's popularity, Joel's death will hit viewers very hard. In the game, his death happens near the start of the story and we expect the show to follow suit.
3. Joel and Ellie's last conversation
In the game, we catch up with Joel and Ellie after they've been on the outs for a while. But the final conversation they have before his death suggests that they're working towards some well-needed closure. In what will undoubtedly be an award-worthy scene, Joel and Ellie slowly discuss themselves and the elephant in the room.
Ellie's anger is justified, as her immunity has been seen as her destiny. She knew she was immune and knew what a cure could do. Although she was unaware she'd be killed in the process, she was not given the choice to decide. She found that Joel making the decision for her was unfair, to say nothing of him lying about it afterward.
However, on the flip side, Ellie was unconscious, and Joel knew that Ellie had more to give the world than the possibility of a cure. His actions were selfish, as there is a degree of him being unable to live with himself if he lost another 'daughter.'
But the point of their conversation is to finally clear the air and provide the hope of starting over. This first step brings joy to Joel, but the conversation itself is intensely bittersweet, since it their last before he dies.
4. Dina gives birth
Life in Jackson thrives even with the constant threats of zombie hordes and worse lingering beyond the walls. This includes relationships that remain just as messy as before the apocalypse begin.
As luck would have it, amongst all the pain with Joel, Ellie seems to find love with a Jackson resident named Dina. The only problem is, she's on and off again with her boyfriend, Jesse.
But when all of the drama ends, Ellie and Dina do officially become a couple, but as an added twist, Dina is also pregnant with Jesse's baby. As Ellie seeks her revenge against Abby, Dina gives birth to a boy named JJ.
What will make this moment so special and heart-wrenching is the reminder that no matter what is happening in the world, life will continue. We already get a taste of this as Joel's brother Tommy and his wife Maria, a community leader in Jackson, become parents themselves.
Ellie will help raise JJ with Dina. As for Jesse...well, we'll get to him in a bit.
5. Ellie plays "Take on Me"
Who doesn't love the song "Take On Me" by A-ha? It's a 1980s staple, both for the song itself and the music video.
Well, in The Last of Us, it takes on a whole new meaning. This song connects Ellie to several important characters throughout her life, such as Joel and her childhood friend and first crush Riley.
When Ellie plays the song on the guitar for Dina, the emotions really start to flow. Joel taught Ellie how to play the guitar, and it becomes one of the most powerful signifiers of their connection. Most who love this game won't be able to look at a guitar without thinking of it.
Within the world of The Last of Us, the song has different meanings. For instance, Bill and Frank used it to reach Tess and Joel in times of trouble back in season 1. The song can be seen as foreshadowing, a clue about what's to come. However you approach it, hearing Ellie play it for Dina brings forth a rush of emotions.
The song can be seen as foreshadowing, a clue about what's to come. But if we look at it as Ellie simply playing a song for Dina, it brings forth a rush of emotions.
6. Ellie explores Joel's house
Oh boy, this scene, as minor as it is, will really pack a punch... Let's write this up before I begin to bawl all over again.
Both Ellie and Tommy, the two most important people in Joel's life, witness Joel's death at the hands of Abby, who uses a golf club to do the deed. In the video game, Ellie goes through Joel's home after his death and comes across three very important things: his broken wristwatch, and two photographs. The photographs are of Joel and his daughter Sarah before the apocalypse, and of Joel and Ellie.
These photographs are near each other in his bedroom, revealing to Ellie and the viewers how important both girls were to him. Knowing that Ellie was angry with Joel and hardly got closure before his death makes this moment all the more depressing and heartbreaking, and helps us understand why she sets out to get revenge.
7. Jesse's death
We mentioned Jesse briefly before; at the start of the game, he's in a tumultuous relationship with Dina. Ellie has feelings for Dina, so we have ourselves a complicated love triangle.
Jesse is a good man and a friend to Ellie and Dina even after he and Dina break up. He harbors no anger or hard feelings towards Ellie once she and Dina get closer, and is part of the quest for retribution for Joel's death.
That quest takes them to Seattle, where Abby lives with her own group of friends. Abby ends up shooting and killing Jesse. His death is unjust and shocking; he becomes another casualty in Ellie's quest for revenge against Abby. Jesse never even gets to meet his child.
For all of that, we're sure audiences will have a hard time processing his death.
8. Ellie's final act
The second season of The Last of Us will not cover the whole of The Last of Us Part II video game; the showrunners have said they will spread the story over multiple seasons. We almost certainly won't see this next moment in season 2, but we will see it eventually, and it will break everyone.
After Ellie and Abby have one final battle, Ellie lets Abby go. Considering we only briefly touched upon what is about to come when Ellie and Abby go to war with each other, you have to realize how important this moment is.
Ever since Abby killed Joel, Ellie and several others have sought revenge. His death was so monumental, it changed the lives of many people, for better and worse, including those closest to Joel and Abby and the ones who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Both women lose practically everything and everyone, including themselves. So when Ellie finally finds Abby and has the chance to finally kill her...she doesn't. At the moment of truth, she tries to move on.
These and other heartbreaking moments will begin when The Last of Us season 2 premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13. In the meanwhile, the first season is streaming on Max.
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