We *Finally* Find Out If Ellie's Immunity Creates a Cure in The Last of Us Season Finale
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*Spoilers for HBO's The Last of Us ahead!* Trigger Warning: Episode eight's summary features a discussion of sexual assault some readers may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised.
HBO's new series The Last of Us is a hit. Along with garnering a huge buzz on social media, the series, inspired by the hit PlayStation game, earned HBO the second-biggest debut in the last 13 years. According to Variety, the first episode of the series received 4.7 million U.S. viewers across the HBO channel and HBO Max streaming service.
Set in a post-apocalyptic society, The Last of Us follows Pedro Pascal's character Joel as he becomes a guardian for Bella Ramsey's character Ellie. The duo attempts to adjust to life and fights to survive 20 years after a series of fungal infections led to a horrific pandemic.
Episode One - Five
The series premiere opens with scientists discussing the likelihood of a fungus-based epidemic set across the world. Viewers soon jump to 2003 to introduce the main character Joel who encounters a life-changing tragedy on his 36th birthday.
Episode two of The Last of Us opened up in 2003 Jakarta, providing viewers a glimpse into the pandemic's origins. Episode three of The Last of Us is the first time the show took a break from the story told within the game while Joel and Ellie grow closer in episode four.
The duo met brothers Henry and Sam for a heartbreaking tale in episode five. Joel bonded with Henry, and Ellie made a connection with Sam. Things took a devastating twist after Sam revealed that he had been bitten and tried to attack Ellie. The young boy, known for his love of all things superhero was gunned down by his older brother to protect Ellie. Riddled with the guilt of killing his young brother, Henry turned the gun on himself.
Episode Six
In episode six, Joel reunited with his brother Tommy, who settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with his pregnant wife Maria. Tommy offered to take Ellie to the University of Eastern Colorado, where she'd be safe at the Firefly compound, but she begged Joel to go with her. Upon their arrival, the duo discovered that the compound was evacuated, and then they were ambushed by raiders, who stabbed Joel with a broken baseball bat. Ellie screamed for Joel to get up, but he had fallen unconscious, leaving viewers wondering if he would survive or if Ellie would have to continue her journey all by herself.
Episode Seven
Viewers got an insight into Ellie's life when she was training to become a FEDRA soldier in the Boston Quarantine Zone after her best friend slash roommate Riley had gone missing for several weeks. Riley, played by Euphoria star Storm Reid, returned and told Ellie that she had joined the Fireflies and would be leaving Boston for good. The duo decided to break into an abandoned mall so they could spend one final night together. They even shared their first kiss.
While the episode appeared to be ending on a heartwarming note, things took a devastating turn when they were attacked by an Infected. Ellie and Riley fight their hardest to subdue the Infected, but they both realize that they had been bitten. Ellie, who viewers now know is immune, agrees to sit with Riley and wait until they begin exhibiting symptoms from the infection. Unfortunately for Ellie, she had to watch her bestie, and new-found crush, turn into an infected right before her very eyes.
Reactions to queer relationships in the show spawned homophobic comments from some viewers. Reid offered a bit of advice to people who had negative responses to the themes in the show during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It's 2023. If you're concerned about who I love, then I need you to get your priorities straight," she said.
Episode Eight
A major question was answered. Two episodes ago, Joel sustained a near-fatal stab wound, and viewers were unsure if he would survive or not. Fortunately, due to Ellie's quick thinking and support, Joel survived. The teen bumped into David and James, two men from Silver Lake while chasing a deer, who Ellie later killed. Instead of claiming the meat for herself and Joel, Ellie held the men at gunpoint and revealed that she'd be willing to share if they'd give her antibiotics to treat Joel's infected wound.
David, a self-proclaimed religious man, described his journey to becoming a leader of a cannibal community to Ellie. He invites Ellie into his fold, but his intentions are unclear. Eventually, things take a devastating turn when a group of Silver Lakers near the house where Ellie had Joel recuperating. She tried to cause a diversion to keep the cannibals away from Joel, but she's ultimately captured and placed in a cage. Joel, on the other hand, mustered up the strength to fight his attackers and find out where Ellie was held.
At the same time, Joel made his way to rescue Ellie, she escaped the cage by breaking David's finger, burning down the steakhouse, and stabbing him in the stomach, but he ultimately pinned her to the ground. Before David continued with what alluded to be a sexual assault, Ellie grabbed a meat cleaver and attacked him with it. Joel, stunned to discover his horse dead in a storage facility along with three headless human bodies that were dressed and hung from hooks, found Ellie moments after she killed David and comforted her.
Episode Nine
The season finale of The Last of Us was filled with shocking twists and turns. Joel and Ellie finally reached the Firefly hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon their arrival, the Fireflies threw a grenade at Joel and Ellie, knocking them both out. When Joel gained consciousness, he discovered that Ellie was being prepped for surgery that could have resulted in a cure for the massive infection that has shifted their entire civilization. Instead of standing by while Ellie undergoes a surgy that could kill her, Joel goes on a murderous rampage shooting nearly every person in the facility — regardless of if they were a threat to him or not.
When Ellie woke up, Joel lied to her about what happened. According to Joel, the attempt to find a cure was a massive failure, and the hospital was under siege. The Last of Us season 1 ends with Joel and Ellie safely making their way to Jackson, Wyoming, leaving viewers wondering where the duo's journey will take them in season 2.
The massive success of the show's premiere episode has left viewers on pins and needles, anxiously anticipating new episodes. If you've tuned in to The Last of Us, and you're ready to find out when each episode is coming out, read ahead for a full schedule of HBO's The Last of Us.
How many episodes of The Last of Us are there?
The Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann-created series will run for nine episodes. HBO debuted the series' first episode on January 15, and viewers can expect a new episode every Sunday at 9:00 PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.
Episode 1 — "When You're Lost in the Darkness" — January 15
Episode 2 — "Infected" — January 22
Episode 3 — "Long Long Time" — January 29
Episode 4 — "Please Hold My Hand" — February 5
Episode 5 — "Endure and Survive" — February 12
Episode 6 — "Kin" — February 19
Episode 7 — "Left Behind" — February 26
Episode 8 — "When We Are in Need" — March 5
Episode 9 — "Look for The Light" — March 12
When will the next episode of The Last of Us air?
The Last of Us season 1 ended on Sunday, March 12. HBO hasn't confirmed when the series will return for season 2.
Will there be a new season of The Last of Us?
Yes! HBO confirmed that The Last of Us will be coming back for a second season.
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