The Last of Us Season 2: Tommy Might Rescue Ellie This Time

The Last of Us Part 1 tells the story of Ellie and Joel's relationship developing over the course of the game. Joel lost his biological daughter on the night of the Cordyceps outbreak and, as a result, became cold and distant, not allowing himself to feel or let others get close to him. However, Ellie breaks down his defenses, and by the end of the game they are like father and daughter to each other. The game series never really addresses this dynamic head on; it's presented to the audience for them to interpret. However, the TV show has been much more direct with this relationship dynamic. In Episode 2, Ellie even refers to her and Joel going on patrol together as "daddy-daughter day." And Joel's therapist, Gail, even refers to Ellie as his daughter.

But with Joel gone, Ellie no longer has that father figure in her life. Obviously, post-Cordyceps life is very different. Most people grow up without parental figures, including Ellie herself up until the age of 14, when she met Joel for the first time. Not only that, but Ellie is now 19 and very capable and independent, so there's an argument she's outgrown the need for a parental figure. She often struggled with Joel's over-protectiveness and pushed him away because of it.

After the town vote, Tommy meets up with Gail at a kids' baseball game to discuss Ellie with her. They both agree that Ellie was lying about respecting the town's decision, whatever that may be, and Tommy expresses his concern for her now that Joel is gone. Gail says to Tommy:

Again, this is much more direct than the storytelling in the game series. The Last of Us Part 2 saw Ellie and Tommy grow closer due to their shared grief over the loss of Joel, but once again, the game never explicitly addresses their new dynamic.

Tommy's New Responsibilities Could See Him Leave Jackson

At the end of Episode 3, Ellie and Dina have just arrived in Seattle, and the audience doesn't yet know what is happening back in Jackson. By this time, they would have undoubtedly noticed Ellie and Dina's absence, as the journey would have taken weeks and Tommy was already suspicious about Ellie doing something rash. By the time Ellie and Dina arrive in Seattle, Tommy may have already been following their trail, similar to the game's narrative but reversed. Perhaps Tommy convinced Maria to let him go under the guise of rescuing and returning Ellie and Dina to Jackson.

Tommy is also already a father himself to a son he has with Maria. This could affect his decision to stay or leave in different ways. Perhaps Tommy would have to make the difficult decision to stay and avoid a dangerous revenge journey, so his own son doesn't lose a parental figure. Or it could mean that Tommy's paternal instincts would carry over to Ellie (especially after his conversation with Gail) and he wouldn't be willing to leave her and Dina unprotected against the WLF.

There are also Tommy's own personal feelings that could cause him to leave. Tommy and Joel were very close. Given the violent nature of Joel's murder and what the audience knows about Tommy's personality, it would likely be very difficult for him to live with what happened. It is presumed that Tommy was one of the three votes for yes in the town vote, and perhaps this was HBO's way of subtly teasing Tommy's decision to leave and join the others in Seattle. Tommy was also seen in Episode 1 accidentally admitting in front of town council that he and Joel don't always follow patrol protocol. He's clearly comfortable bending the rules in some scenarios.

Even if Tommy does go to Seattle, it's likely that he would be there for very different reasons than he was in The Last of Us game series. Revenge would probably be a positive side effect rather than his main motivation, which would be to rescue Ellie and Dina and return safely to his family in Jackson.