The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale Review: Ellie Pays The Price For Her Actions In A Game-Changing Season Finale That Ups Season 3 Stakes

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2 finale!

After the devastating penultimate episode, The Last of Us season 2 finale throws us into the action without holding back. There's no cold open this time, as the season finale tells an uninterrupted story of Ellie's next moves in Seattle, taking her further down Joel's path. In some ways, it feels like The Last of Us season 2 has just started. Only now do we have the full picture of the players and stakes. It would be easy to wish for more episodes in season 2, but we'll have to hope that season 3 comes sooner rather than later.

Bella Ramsey is alone again, with the Ellie we've gotten to know all season grappling with the consequences of bringing the people she cares about most to Seattle. It was amazing to see Pedro Pascal again in The Last of Us season 2, episode 6, though this made it the emotional gut-punch of the season. It could have easily been a mistake to put the flashback episode before the season finale, but it worked in the show's favor. Joel's loss is fresh and stinging as we follow Ellie into dangerous and irresponsible territory, fully understanding why she has to go there.

Ellie Realizes Just How Much She Has To Lose In The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale

Her Actions Have Consequences, Just Like Joel's Did

Ramsey and Young Mazino carry The Last of Us season 2 finale, with Mazino getting his moment to shine. Jesse's presence throws Ellie's priorities into sharp relief, and she doesn't always look good. The moment when Ellie has the opportunity to reunite with Tommy or go after Abby says it all about her evolution this season. However, she's been operating under a false assumption throughout the finale and the entire season. A part of Ellie still believes, up until the last moments of the episode, that her actions are her own and won't affect the people closest to her.

Isabela Merced takes a backseat in the season 2 finale, as all of Ellie's allies slowly splinter away, leaving her alone to decide what kind of person she's going to be. However, Dina's presence and the way the baby represents the future influence Ellie and the story, even though our hero pushes past her trepidation, thinking that killing Abby will be the answer. I was surprised that Ellie confided in Dina about what Joel did at the hospital, but it was about time someone got the full picture of the driving force behind Ellie and Joel's way of looking at the world.

The season finale emphasizes the fundamental differences between Ellie and Jesse throughout the episode. Their opposing views on the purpose of community and society serve as the delivery system for the season's thematic purpose, especially when Jesse reveals that he never voted for Ellie to go in the first place. It's a little surprising that Ellie didn't see this coming, but her inability to prioritize the needs of the many has made her as stubborn as Joel, and this has proven not to be a good thing.

I wish there had been more setup for this tension between Ellie and Jesse, as it feels underdeveloped. Their blowout fight isn't well-earned, written in to make Jesse's fate even more tragic. The symbolism of Ellie killing a pregnant woman before coming home to Dina isn't lost on me. It's likely less symbolism than pure foreshadowing, as the rules of The Last of Us have always been an eye for an eye. The Last of Us is setting up a third season that could very well see Ellie lose everything.

She set out to avenge Joel's death, thinking she had nothing more to lose, but this couldn't be further from the truth. I was nearly tricked by the safe return of our heroes to the theater and the desperate desire to believe that maybe they would all go back to Jackson and live happily. Of course, this was never going to happen, as The Last of Us was saving the episode's most game-changing moment for the last minutes of the story. Ellie's luck has officially run out, and it's time for her to pay for her path of destruction.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale Waits For The Final Moments To Set Up The Episode's Biggest Twist

Abby's Return Has Been Highly Anticipated, And She Doesn't Disappoint

Kaitlyn Dever might have been sitting on her hands for most of season 2, but season 3 promises much more Abby than viewers might want. As I'm sure game players felt when the perspective shifts to Abby, I'm both intrigued and feeling a little hateful. After spending season 2 searching for Abby and watching a penultimate episode that made Joel's death sting even more, I can't see a way for The Last of Us to make me empathize with her. However, that's what the show does best, so I'm open to spending season 3 with Abby.

However, I hope we won't have to wait another two years for season 3. Abby's been a far-away villain on a disastrously single-minded quest for revenge, a path Ellie has followed. She's been more affected by the violence of her actions than Joel so far, but with each person she loses, she'll be more ready to take others' lives. The cost of the battle between Abby and Ellie is mirrored in the conflict between the Scars and the WLF, which shows us the big picture of The Last of Us and reminds us that there are no winners in war.

New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 air weekly on Sundays at 9 PM EST on Max and HBO.