Does Ellie Die in The Last of Us Season 2?

HBO never pulls its punches; it’s one of the things that makes the network so unique. Even as far back as The Sopranos, there’s just a certain vibe that surrounds HBO content, one that says that anything can happen and no one is safe. Game of Thrones centers its entire series around the idea that characters can and will die, killing off the patriarch of the Stark family, Ned Stark, in the first season before whacking countless other beloved characters. With The Sopranos and Game of Thrones over, however, HBO is in need of a new show that provides shocking moments, and the best candidate is The Last of Us.

Based on the wildly successful video games by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us tells the story of a man, Joel (Pedro Pascal), helping a young girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), survive in a desolate world. He does his job in Season 1, but the lines he has to cross put him on the radar of a dangerous group. They kill Joel at the start of Season 2, which pushes Ellie to seek revenge and head into a situation that’s very likely to take her life as well.

Ellie Has Her Hands Full in The Last of Us Season 2 Finale

After Ellie and Dina get in over their heads in Seattle, Jesse finds them and rescues them from a group of Stalkers. They aren’t out of the woods yet, though, because Wolves and Seraphites are in the area and not looking to make friends. Ellie splits up from her friends to allow them to escape and ends up at the hospital where Nora works. She tortures Abby’s friend for information before heading back to the theater, where Jesse pleads with her to call the whole thing off. The next day, they search for Tommy, and while they find him, Ellie goes off on her own because she believes she spots Abby’s hideout.

Ellie steals a boat and has a brief run-in with Seraphites before arriving at the aquarium, where she finds Owen and Mel. They refuse to tell her where Abby is, and Owen grabs for his gun, hoping to turn the tide to his side. Ellie shoots him before he can do anything, but the bullet goes through him and hits Mel, who is pregnant. Ellie can’t believe what’s happening and breaks down as Tommy and Jesse arrive. While the group heads back to the theater, ready to head home, they get an unexpected visitor, Abby, who kills Jesse and doesn’t want to stop there.

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Ellie’s Fate Is Left as a Mystery At the End of The Last of Us Season 2

After Abby shoots Jesse, she realizes who Ellie is and gets pretty upset about seeing her again. She didn’t kill anyone but Joel in Jackson, and now her friends are dead because the community couldn’t leave well enough alone. Out of frustration, Abby seemingly fires another bullet in Ellie’s direction as the show does a hard cut to black, and transitions to a flashback featuring the WLF soldier a few days earlier. The Last of Us does this to create a shroud of mystery around its main character’s fate going into Season 3, but it’s easy to surmise that her story still has a ways to go.

The Last of Us Part II video game, which Season 2 is based on, has all the answers because it cuts off at almost the exact same point to pass the torch to Abby, who has her own story to tell. Once that’s complete, however, the conflict between her and Ellie will resume and leave more devastation in its wake.

The Last of Us Season 2 is streaming on HBO Max.

Do you think Abby shoots Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2 finale? Where do you think the story will go from here? Let us know in the comments below!