'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAxajC2f/EAB8QAAIBBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAADBRETITJRgf/aAAgBAQABPwCDKx8LItamxHkLbRVIVgvmQOvWqMPHA6474+iv/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDMf/aAAgBAgEBPwCqw//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAxEh/9oACAEDAQE/AIdtM//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Last of Us season 2 ended its emotionally draining and suspenseful seven-episode arc on May 25, with one of its most tense and open-ended endings yet. Based on the first half of the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us Part II, the HBO drama has continued to explore the moral ambiguity of survival, loss, and vengeance.
In its last minutes, the season provided a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, making viewers wonder about the fate of its main character, Ellie, and where the story is headed in season 3.
The finale ended a dramatic arc that had Ellie (Bella Ramsey) fueled by revenge while pursuing Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the woman who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal). What started as a journey born of sorrow grew more violent and lonely, testing Ellie's relationships and aligning her against people she once considered friends.
Trending
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 finale. Reader's discretion is advised.
A legendary series will air on TNT! More details HERE.
At the end of the final episode, one of the big players had already been eliminated, and the status of another, arguably the most important in the series, remained up in the air.
Jesse is the only confirmed death at the end of The Last of Us season 2.
The Last of Us season 2 episode 7 opens with chaos and a choice
The series finale begins immediately after a Seraphite attack that injures Dina (Isabela Merced). Jesse (Young Mazino) is the one who gets her to safety, and the rest of them rally around to try to come up with a plan for what to do next.
Meanwhile, Dina recuperates from an arrow wound to her leg, while Jesse and Ellie set out to meet with Tommy (Gabriel Luna), with hopes of rejoining the main group. But tensions come to a head as Jesse forces Ellie to confront Dina's pregnancy— news that complicates their mission and highlights the emotional stakes of their journey.
Ellie makes an important decision before the group can reunite. Having learned over a radio broadcast that Abby might be hiding at the Seattle aquarium, Ellie breaks off from Jesse, determined to complete what she began. That decision puts her on a violent and dark road, one that involves murdering Abby's best friends, Owen and Mel. Mel's pregnancy and Ellie's failure to save her leave Ellie shaken.
This turning point is the breaking point for Ellie, as she finally sees that the price of her revenge will likely be more than she bargained for in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7.
Jesse's destiny is sealed, and Tommy scarcely escapes in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7
As Ellie navigates the aftermath of her brutal battle at the aquarium, Jesse and Tommy press on, looking for her. Their brief reunion at the theater, where Dina is hiding, comes to an end all too quickly. As the group is preparing to head back to Jackson, Abby ambushes them.
In a flash, before anyone could respond, Abby shoots Jesse in the head, killing him instantly in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7.
Tommy is also attacked in the fight, but he manages to survive, though badly wounded. The ambush is quick and brutal, and highlights the increasing threats in a universe where nobody is ever completely safe. Jesse's murder, though unexpected, was his ultimate destiny in the video game, and it acts as a dark reminder of the price that is attached to Ellie's revenge.
For Tommy, the survival of this attack means he is once again caught up in a cycle of violence he had hoped to escape in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7.
The final scene leaves Ellie's fate hanging in the balance in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7
The most discussed scene of the finale is in its final moment. Following Abby's confrontation with Ellie at the theater, a tense standoff ensues. Ellie, obviously traumatized, discards her gun and admits to having murdered Abby's friends.
She begs Abby to let Tommy go, who is bleeding on the ground nearby. Abby, keeping Ellie at gunpoint, responds coldly,
"I let you live and you wasted it," before raising her gun.
Just as Abby fires the gun, the screen suddenly cuts to black, and all that can be heard is the sound of a gunshot. The show provides no immediate answers to the question of who was hit, if anyone, in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7.
The ensuing silence has everyone wondering if Ellie was killed, if someone jumped in at the last minute, or if Abby didn't shoot her. The lack of a definitive answer is intentional, according to showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who explained in a press conference that this ending felt like the natural place to pause the story, as reported by People.
"This always felt like the natural end point for the season," Druckmann said.
The uncertainty of Ellie's destiny is reflective of the moral ambiguity that characterizes The Last of Us season 2 episode 7. It also paves the way for the third season of the show, which HBO formally greenlit in April 2025.
