The Last of Us Season 2 finale thrives on Bella Ramsey’s haunted, emotionally raw performance as Ellie, capturing the devastating fallout of her relentless pursuit. While it sets the stage for a compelling shift in perspective for Season 3, a misjudged encounter involving Ellie and the Seraphites briefly disrupts the episode’s momentum, keeping it shy of the season’s best.
The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Overview
After a strong flashback-heavy penultimate episode, The Last of Us Season 2 finale returns to present-day Seattle.
Ellie tortures Nora, then returns to the auditorium, where Jesse and Dina wait with growing concern. Tommy misses his check-in, so Ellie and Jesse head out, while Dina stays behind to rest and heal.
Ramsey commands the episode. After her brutal encounter with Nora, Ellie feels shaken and overwhelmed by her dark nature. She confesses to Joel’s role in Abby’s arrival and apologizes to Dina for lying, which strains their relationship.
The push-and-pull between Ellie’s need for revenge and her responsibilities drives the finale’s most compelling emotional conflict. Initially, Ellie prioritizes Tommy’s rescue. But after finding a key clue, she returns to her obsession with revenge.
Jesse needs more development. He’s sharp, loyal, and selfless, putting Jackson’s needs above his attachments. His scenes reinforce the episode’s moral center: what defines goodness in a world shaped by violence? Ellie argues that saving a child, even one who’s not part of your community. Jesse wants to focus on helping those in Jackson, and that’s it.
The finale sets up Abby’s arc for Season 3, primarily through a revealing scene between Isaac and Elise Park. Their conversation draws a powerful parallel between Abby’s future and Ellie’s current descent.
Though Kaitlyn Dever appears briefly as Abby, she delivers explosive intensity during the finale’s final confrontation.
Not everything lands cleanly. Ellie’s mission to reach the Seattle Aquarium suffers from a distracting, unnecessary detour. A storm forces her onto a remote island, where Seraphites capture her and nearly hang her. An explosion in a nearby village draws her captors away, letting her escape in a convenient twist. This sequence breaks momentum and weakens an otherwise tightly constructed and emotionally rich finale.
Despite a misjudged detour, the finale powerfully deepens its characters and sets the stage for an intense next chapter.
Despite a misjudged detour, the finale powerfully deepens its characters and sets the stage for an intense next chapter.
The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.
Jesse’s Girl
Jesse’s backstory unfolds in the season finale.
After the auditorium, Ellie unintentionally reveals Dina’s pregnancy to Jesse. Young Mazino and Bella Ramsey shine in these subtle, emotionally charged moments. Ellie realizes Jesse isn’t just confirming, he’s unsure.
Later, caught in a storm, they take cover and overhear WLF soldiers capturing a Seraphite teen. Ellie wants to intervene, but Jesse pragmatically points out they’re outnumbered six to two. He refuses to die needlessly.
They find no sign of Tommy at a rendezvous point in a bookstore, but the downtime allows them to reconnect. Jesse admits he doesn’t love Abby like Ellie does. He recalls falling in love with someone else but ultimately chose Jackson, believing the community needed his leadership.
From a higher vantage point, Ellie spots a Ferris wheel near an aquarium—Nora’s clue clicks into place. Her focus shifts back to revenge. She wants to go after Abby, despite the danger. Jesse argues they should prioritize rescuing Tommy. It escalates.
Jesse confesses he voted against Ellie in Jackson, believing her path wasn’t best for the community. He calls her selfish—the same word Ellie once used against Joel. Ellie, furious, lashes out at Jesse for choosing community over compassion. She doesn’t understand the morality of leaving that Seraphite kid behind just because he wasn’t one of theirs, especially when Joel, her community, was murdered in front of them.
Realizing he can’t reach her, Jesse leaves Ellie to walk her path while saving Tommy.
Can’t Stop the Cycle in The Last of Us Season 2 Finale
Once Ellie heads out solo in search of Abby, she is faced with waves, some literally, of opposition.
As torrential rain pounds the city, Ellie reaches the marina and prepares to steal a boat to cross to the aquarium. As she’s ready to move, blinding spotlights flare, and WLF ships pass through. Isaac and his forces are en route to launch a full-scale assault on the Seraphite island.
Ellie waits for their departure, then commandeers a smaller vessel. However, the sea doesn’t cooperate. A brutal wave capsizes her boat, washing her ashore on the very island the WLF is about to invade.
There, she’s captured by Seraphites and strung up for execution. A chaotic WLF attack gives her a chance to escape, forcing her to restart her journey.
The weather here isn’t just environmental—it’s symbolic. Nature seems to be trying to push Ellie back, mirroring her internal storm. Every choice she makes feels reckless, which works well thematically. Her fury is blinding; logic has long since left the picture.
That said, the detour to the island feels like a stretch. While the scenes are harrowing and visually intense, they don’t add much beyond reiterating Ellie’s instability. It’s tough to believe the Seraphites wouldn’t simply imprison her and delay the ritual. It feels like a narrative convenience rather than a natural consequence.
The Aquarium and Fallout
At the aquarium, Ellie corners Owen and Mel, two complicit faces from Joel’s murder. Desperate for Abby’s location, she uses Joel’s old trick: identical answers or death.
Sure of his fate, Owen makes a desperate lunge like Nora before him. Ellie’s reflexes are faster. A shot through his neck, the bullet passing through him to strike Mel. As Mel bleeds out, a horrific plea: “Cut the baby out!” Ellie is too slow. Mel and her baby die, leaving Ellie in a state of trauma.
Jesse and Tommy arrive. The three return to the aquarium. Though Abby’s survival still gnaws at Ellie, she seems ready to abandon her mission and return to Jackson.
Ellie and Jesse reconcile. She apologizes, calling him a “good person” for returning. Jesse admits she’d risk everything to save him.
Then, Tommy yelled from another part of the theater. Jesse and Ellie burst through the doors. Jesse is killed instantly, and Tommy is captured. Abby has arrived. Ellie confesses to her killings. Abby admonishes her for wasting a “second chance,” then appears to shoot Ellie.
The scene cuts to black and then flashes back to Day 1: Abby getting ready and gazing over the post-apocalyptic Seahawks stadium.
The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Final Thoughts
Despite a few narrative stumbles, The Last of Us Season 2 finale solidifies its place as a good finale, just not a masterful one like season one’s finale.
Ramsey’s raw, unflinching portrayal of Ellie’s descent into vengeance is nothing short of masterful. Her character’s trauma feels visceral and deeply unsettling. While the detour to the Seraphite island felt like a forced plot device, it ultimately couldn’t derail the episode’s emotional core.
The finale deepens its characters, particularly Ellie and Jesse, and expertly lays the groundwork for Abby’s perspective in season three.
Season 2 Finale
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Very Good - 7.5/107.5/10
