"Worse Than Seeing Joel Die": The Last Of Us Star Breaks Down Ellie's Darkest Scene From The Season 2 Finale

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Last of Us season 2, episode 7!The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has broken down Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) darkest scene from the season 2 finale and how it impacts her character's motivations. The Last of Us season 2 finale sees Ellie arrive at the Aquarium in search of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), only to find her friends Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer) there instead. Owen tries to shoot Ellie but she manages to kill him first, the bullet passing through his neck and slicing open Mel's. However, it's revealed she's pregnant, begging Ellie to cut out her baby as she dies.

Speaking with Variety, Ramsey explained how they approached The Last of Us season 2 finale scene where Ellie kills Owen and Mel. The actor unpacked how the moment is reflective of Joel (Pedro Pascal), in particular the monstrous side of him that would kill anyone in his way. They explain how the scene shows Ellie the ramifications of revenge, and how much pain she's caused in her quest to avenge Joel. Check out what Ramsey had to say below:

I had a lot of challenging scenes in this last episode! But yeah, that was a deep, dark sort of scene. I was really excited to get to do it and absolutely terrified, because how awful! That’s maybe worse than seeing Joel die, because I think in that moment, Ellie realizes she has become all of the parts of him that she never wanted to become. And now she’s seeing the consequences of her actions and her grief and her revenge and being unable to stop and think for a second.

What Ellie Killing Owen & Mel Says About Her Quest For Revenge

She's Seen What Her Pursuit Of Abby Has Truly Done

Owen and Mel aren't the first characters in The Last of Us Ellie has killed on her quest for revenge. She also beats Nora (Tati Gabrielle) to death in a hospital basement while trying to find out where Abby is. However, her murder of the pair is much darker, both because Mel was never supposed to get caught in the crossfire, and because she was pregnant.

Her begging for her child to be saved as she dies clearly upsets the main character, who decides to go home with Dina (Isabela Merced), Jesse (Young Mazino), and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) afterwards. However, despite seeing the error in what she's done, the consequences catch up: The Last of Us season 2 ends with Abby killing Jesse and holding Tommy hostage.

Ellie ends up begging for Tommy's life, clearly traumatized by everything that's happened, and seemingly no longer wanting revenge. However, her enemy seems to know about what happened to Owen and Mel, seemingly at the theater to avenge her dead friends. The consequences of this will likely be explored more in The Last of Us season 3, which will be from Abby's perspective.

Our Take On Ellie Killing Owen & Mel In The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale

What She's Done Will Have Devastating Consequences

Ellie killing Owen and Mel is bound to have long-term consequences for The Last of Us moving forward, especially now that Abby likely knows both characters are dead. The cycle of revenge will no doubt be further explored in season 3, this time through the lens of her contributions to the WLF in their battle against the Seraphites. However, the main character can't take back what happened, meaning that, when the cliffhanger ending of season 2 does get revisited, more horrifying consequences are likely going to follow.

All episodes of The Last of Us season 2 are now streaming on Max.

Source: Variety