Warning: Contains spoilers!
Pedro Pascal is everywhere at the moment: recreating an iconic photograph of Harrison Ford outside the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc at Cannes; strapped to the front of the Marvel rocket ship as his Fantastic Four movie prepares to blast into orbit. Everywhere except The Last Of Us, the prestige zombie caper that has done so much to propel the “internet’s dad” to the frontline of popular culture.
Many Last of Us newcomers are still reeling from the sensational death of Pascal’s character, Joel, in episode two of the second season of the video game adaptation. He had a close encounter with a golf club wielded by vengeful paramilitary leader Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), and the reverberations have echoed throughout the show and across social media. As was the case with The Last of Us 2 video game in 2020, the question is: can the story continue to hold worth without Joel, a father figure to Bella Ramsey’s traumatised teen, Ellie?
The series has tried to have it both ways by bringing Pascal back for a flashback penultimate instalment. It delved into Joel’s relationship with Ellie and recreated several heartbreaking scenes from the game (the museum, the space capsule ... sob!). But the violent, twist-filled finale brings us back to Ellie’s quest for revenge in Seattle, where she and her girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced) have pursued Abby’s WLF faction (aka the Wolves). Warning: spoilers to follow.
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In the game, the segment in which Ellie travels to Abby’s lair at Seattle’s aquarium is haunting and packed with tension. This is equally true of the adaptation, which reminds us of the degree to which Ellie’s desire for revenge has broken something in her.
Just how shattered she is is made clear when Ellie confesses to Dina her immunity to the zombie infection. She goes on to reveal that, to save Ellie’s life, Joel killed the doctor about to use her blood to create a cure – that doctor being Abby’s father. In so doing, Joel signed his own death warrant.
But still Ellie can’t let go. As she and Jesse – father of Dina’s unborn child – depart in search of Joel’s brother Tommy, Ellie catches sight of the Ferris wheel that marks Abby’s hideout. She decides her desire for justice must overrule the mission to retrieve Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and safely leave Seattle with the expectant Dina. Jesse (Young Mazino) is disappointed but not surprised – and refuses to accompany her to Abby’s HQ.
Stealing a speedboat, Ellie powers across the harbour – and bang into a fresh outbreak of hostilities between the Wolves and the Seraphim, the religious cult that lives on an island in the harbour. She very nearly ends up at the business end of a ritual sacrifice by the Seraphim, only for the invading Wolves to facilitate her escape. Reaching the aquarium, she next encounters Abby’s sidekick, Owen (Spencer Lord) and his girlfriend, Mel (Ariela Barer).
Ellie demands to know Abby’s location – but despite the threat to his girlfriend, Owen refuses. He grabs a gun, and Ellie unloads, killing Owen and fatally catching Mel with a stray bullet. Then comes the heartbreaking reveal that Mel is pregnant and has now died with her child. Ellie had the choice of helping a pregnant Dina – instead, she has taken the life of another mother-to-be. And for what? The same mindless desire for vengeance that led Abby to Ellie’s door? Who is the real monster?
There is time for one final bloody twist. Back at their hideout in a ruined cinema in central Seattle, Ellie, Tommy, Jesse and Dina are packing for the journey back to Jackson. Tommy steps into the lobby and gunshots are heard. Abby has tracked them down. “I let you live,” she screams at Ellie, having put a bullet in both Tommy and Jesse.
It is a nerve-shredding conclusion to a finale which confirms The Last of Us doesn’t need Pascal or Joel. Next comes a flashback to the day Ellie and Dina arrived in Seattle, only we’re with Abby at WLF HQ. Having told the story from Ellie’s perspective, we are now in her sworn enemy’s shoes.
With Abby in the driver’s seat, The Last of Us has found another gear. But then the screen cuts to black – and for how long? The gap between seasons one and two was a prolonged 24 months. There are conflicting reports on whether cameras will begin rolling on series three later this year or in 2026. Either way, another lengthy lay-off feels inevitable – a gut punch for those reeled in by a riveting portrayal of revenge and the tragically unintended consequences that follow.
The season finale of The Last Of Us is on Sky Go and Now TV and airs again on Sky Atlantic at 9pm Monday night.
