"We Don't Talk About That": Why Ellie's Immunity Is Still Kept A Secret In The Last Of Us Season 2

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us season 2, episode 1.

At the end of The Last of Us season 1, Joel makes the controversial decision to save Ellie from the Fireflies after discovering that they’re going to kill her to study her brain and potentially develop a cure for the zombie virus. Pedro Pascal’s protagonist kills everybody in the facility to ensure that no witnesses to his crime survive, and this lingering secret is still weighing on his mind in season 2.

Joel & Tommy Are The Only Ones Who Know About Ellie's Immunity In The Last Of Us

Joel Could Only Trust His Brother With The Crucial Information

Since Joel ensured that nobody survived his encounter with the Fireflies in The Last of Us’ season 1 finale, the character has decided that Ellie’s immunity should be kept a secret. However, even Joel couldn’t keep it quiet from his brother Tommy, who reveals just how much he knows very early into season 2’s first episode. When Ellie mentions that she can’t be infected, Tommy shushes her and reminds her “We don’t talk about that.”

Why It's Safer To Keep Ellie's Immunity A Secret

The Teenager Would Become A Public Target Otherwise

One of the trickiest things about The Last of Us’ rich post-apocalyptic world is that you don't know who can be trusted. Even characters that audiences think they can trust ultimately turn out to have ulterior motives - just like Marlene’s decision at the end of The Last of Us season 1. Therefore, Joel and Tommy are right to keep Ellie’s immunity under wraps, as many of the survivors would be tempted to hand her over to the remaining Fireflies to develop a vaccine and go back to a normal life.

Joel’s decision was likely influenced by Marlene’s betrayal in the season 1 finale, which proved that he couldn’t trust anybody but himself and Tommy. While it’s easy to understand the character’s intentions, The Last of Us makes it clear that audiences don’t necessarily have to agree with him. It could have been better for humanity if the Fireflies were indeed able to create a cure, but it’s this conflict between duty and love that makes the story so captivating.

How Ellie Has Helped Hide Her Immunity In The Last Of Us

Joel and Ellie Have Clearly Committed To The Secret

Additionally, Ellie cuts into her new bite wound in season 2's premiere to make it appear less conspicuous to the other survivors. She may be immune to the virus, but Ellie can still be harmed and threatened by the clickers - as proven by her encounter in the abandoned village. If anybody in The Last of Us saw her bite wound, they could quickly piece together her lack of symptoms that she’s immune, and the smartest of the survivors could even begin to suspect what Joel did to the Fireflies in this case.