The Last of Us season 2 ending explained: is [spoiler] dead and how this chapter’s final scene sets up the hit HBO show’s third season
The Last of Us season 2 episode 7 is out now – and, with it, the incredibly popular show’s latest installment has come to an end.
Like its predecessor, season 2 of HBO’s TV adaptation has been appointment viewing for all of us over the past seven weeks. And, as the dust settles on its near-50-minute finale, I imagine you’ve got some big questions about what happened and the show’s future.
So, how does The Last of Us season 2 end? Are there any end credits scenes? And when do we think season 3 will arrive worldwide? I’ll aim to answer those questions below, but bear in mind that full spoilers immediately follow for The Last of Us‘ season 2 finale. Make sure you’ve watched it before you proceed.
Who dies in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7?
The Last of Us TV show‘s latest episode contains three big character deaths.
The most unexpected of those, and arguably the most shocking one since Joel’s demise in season 2 episode 2, is Jesse’s. The close friend of Ellie and Dina’s ex-boyfriend (and father of Dina’s unborn child) is killed by Abby when she single-handedly storms the Seattle theater that’s been Ellie and Dina’s base of operations since this season’s fourth episode.
Jesse’s death probably won’t shock those who have played The Last of Us Part II, aka the Naughty Dog video game season 2 is based on. And if you’d been paying attention to the foreshadowing throughout season 2’s final episode, such as Jesse constantly expressing his wish to get out of Seattle in one piece, I doubt you would’ve been stunned by his passing, either.
But why does Abby kill him? The reason is simple: Ellie accidentally killed Owen and Mel, two members of Abby’s party who helped her track down and murder Joel in episode 2. A vengeful Abby, then, wants revenge for Ellie murdering two of her closest friends.
Having learned of Abby’s location from Nora in episode 5 – that being, Seattle’s aquarium not too far from the city’s unmissable Ferris wheel – Ellie infiltrates the building and encounters Owen and Mel while searching for Abby.
Still traumatized from how much she tortured Nora two episodes ago, Ellie claims she won’t shoot Owen and Mel if they tell her where Abby is now. Owen initially refuses, but to buy himself and Mel some time, he eventually agrees to show Ellie where she can find Abby on a map.
However, as Owen approaches the map on a table, he makes a move to grab a handgun to shoot Ellie first. Unfortunately for Owen, Ellie’s survival instincts kick in and she shoots him first.
The bullet passes through Owen’s neck, killing him instantly. After exiting the back of Owen’s throat, it hits Mel, who’s standing behind him. The bullet slices her neck, nicking an artery in the process, which results in Mel collapsing and bleeding out.
Ordinarily, this would be a tragic accident in its own right – after all, Mel was unarmed and made no attempt to harm Ellie. However, Mel makes things even worse for Ellie (and, by proxy, us as viewers) before she dies by revealing she’s heavily pregnant.
If Ellie felt incredible guilt and shame over what she’d done to Nora, she feels 50 times worse over not only taking Mel’s life, but also that of her innocent unborn child. It’s a moment that hits home even harder when you consider how much danger Ellie has put a pregnant Dina in since the pair left Jackson, Wyoming, too.
Jesse, Owen, and Mel aren’t the only casualties of season 2 episode 7 – well, that’s what The Last of Us wants you to think. One of the finale’s last shots shows Abby pointing her sidearm at an unarmed Ellie, who shouts “no no no!” before the screen cuts to black as a shot is fired.
There’s no way that the hit Max show just bumped off another of its main characters in Ellie, right? In short: no, she doesn’t die. Ellie is the protagonist of this TV series and The Last of Us Part II. Spoilers notwithstanding, her story is far from over in HBO’s live-action adaptation.
So, who fired the shot that we hear? I’m not going to ruin that now. You’ll just have to wait for season 3 (more on this later) to arrive. Or, you know, you could watch a playthrough of The Last of Us 2 on YouTube if you want an answer ASAP.
Is there a mid-credits scene in The Last of Us season 2 episode 7?
There’s no mid-credits scene to stick around for.
This season’s final scene doesn’t count as one, either. Sure, it drops a big hint about how season 3 will begin (more on this shortly), but it’s a brief scene that takes place before the end credits start to roll. So, it can’t be classed as a traditional mid-credits stinger.
Does The Last of Us season 2’s final episode have a post-credits scene?
Nope. The Last of Us season 2 doesn’t have a post-credits scene, either. Based on how the show’s latest episode ends, it doesn’t need one.
When will The Last of Us season 3 be released?
We don’t know. HBO only confirmed that The Last of Us season 2 wouldn’t be the hit series’ final chapter in April, so it’ll be a few years before one of the best Max shows‘ third season is released.
It’s likely that work has been going on behind the scenes on season 3 for some time. Indeed, I’d be surprised if the show’s chief creative team hasn’t been penning its scripts, location scouting, and conducting other pre-production elements for months at this point.
Nevertheless, with filming yet to begin on The Last of Us season 3, I suspect it’ll be mid-2027 at the earliest before it launches worldwide.
What does The Last of Us’ season 2 finale tell us about the plot of season 3?
Season 2 episode 7’s final scene suggests that next season will give us an entirely different perspective on the events that play out during Ellie and Dina’s first 72 hours in Seattle.
After the screen cuts to black in this season’s finale, many viewers might have expected the credits to roll, thereby leaving us on a cliffhanger.
Instead, a new scene begins seconds later, reuniting us with Abby as she’s woken up by Manny. He tells her that “they” won’t be happy if she keeps them waiting, to which Abby replies she’ll be there in five minutes.
Once she’s fully come to, Abby steps out onto a balcony overlooking a football stadium that’s been repurposed as a headquarters for the Isaac-led antagonistic faction known as the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). After she surveys the scene, Abby heads back inside as the words ‘Seattle, Day One’ appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
This is the same location and time stamp that appeared in season 2 episode 4 when Ellie and Dina first arrive in Seattle. So, The Last of Us season 3’s first few episodes, if not the entirety of next season, will travel back in time and cover the same three-day period in the US Pacific Northwest city through Abby’s eyes.
That won’t be a surprise to those who have played The Last of Us Part II. As the deuteragonist of the aforementioned video game, Abby was a playable character for half of the story depicted in the second entry of Naughty Dog’s acclaimed and multi-award-winning game franchise. That means her side of the Seattle-based story, which runs concurrently to Ellie’s, will be brought to life in season 3 of HBO’s TV adaptation.
There’s a lot of ground to cover in the Abby-centric part of the story, too. What were Owen and Mel planning to do before Ellie interrupted them? Who’s the father of Mel’s baby? How did Abby know where to find Ellie and co. in Seattle? What convinced Isaac to choose Abby as the WLF’s new leader? Why does Isaac believe the WLF’s current leadership is set to perish during the assault on the Seraphites’ main headquarters? And does Manny meet the same fate as Owen, Mel, and Nora at Ellie’s or someone else’s hands, or is he still alive somewhere?
These questions will need answering in season 3 and beyond if The Last of Us officially ends with its rumored four-season plan. I could provide more details now, but again, I don’t want to spoil anything significant about Ellie and Abby’s journeys from this point on in the story. So, unless you scour the internet for answers now, you’ll have to wait until season 3 arrives for them.
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The Last of Us season 2 episode 7 is out now – and, with it, the incredibly popular show’s latest installment has come to an end. Like its predecessor, season 2 of HBO’s TV adaptation has been appointment viewing for all of us over the past seven weeks. And, as…
