Cliff Notes – Thriller’s season 2 finale hailed ‘perfect ending’ after crushing fans
- The emotional season 2 finale of The Last of Us left fans devastated, particularly after the brutal deaths of key characters, including Jesse and Mel.
- Viewers are now faced with a two-year wait for season 3, which is expected to explore Abby’s perspective before her confrontation with Ellie.
Thriller’s season 2 finale hailed ‘perfect ending’ after crushing fans
Fans can’t believe how long they have to wait for the third season (Picture: HBO)
Warning: spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2 finale.
The Last of Us fans have been left emotional wrecks after watching the season 2 finale of the post-apocalyptic thriller.
And with two years to wait until season 3, who knows how long it’ll take for them to recover from the gut-wrenching turmoil of the final episode, which some viewers called ‘perfect’.
In the last episode of the series, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continues on her search to hunt down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), after watching the militia member murder her surrogate father Joel (Pedro Pascal) in a devastating earlier scene.
She manages to track down Abby’s accomplices Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord), both of whom she shoots and kills – which also results in the death of Mel’s unborn baby, after Ellie is unable to go through with delivering the child.
Ellie is rescued by Jesse (Young Mazino) and Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who take her back to the theatre where she’s been hiding out with Dina (Isabela Merced).
Ellie endures even more heartbreak after losing her surrogate father Joel (Picture: HBO)
But while it appears for a moment as though they’re safe, Jesse is brutally shot dead when Abby breaks into the theatre, threatening Ellie, Dina and Tommy at gunpoint while seeking vengeance for Mel and Owen’s deaths.
Before viewers can find out what happens next in Ellie’s face-off with Abby, the show ends with a flashback to a couple of days prior from Abby’s point of view at the headquarters for the militia group WLF in Seattle.
This implies that the third season will follow the same timeline as the second, but instead show Abby’s perspective before she and Ellie cross paths once more.
Several fans couldn’t have given the season two finale higher praise.
‘I thought 49 minutes was gonna be rushed but it was actually perfect,’ @taylorsversion wrote on X. ‘Has some of the most epic scenes I’ve seen on TV.
‘I’m not sure how to feel about Ellie being portrayed as way more sensitive than in the game. Perfect ending.’
The Last of Us season 2 finale – Metro’s review
Metro’s TV Editor Sabrina Barr shares her thoughts on the final episode of The Last of Us season two…
The first season of The Last of Us was like lightning in a bottle, a show that will always be imprinted on my mind as one of my favourite TV-viewing experiences ever.
So it was always going to be a tall order for the second season to match its quality.
In my opinion, the creators of the series, the performers and the talented members of the crew behind the production have done a brilliant job.
But for me, it didn’t quite have that same magic that had fans across the globe transfixed during the release of season one, unable to look away from the horror unfolding.
That doesn’t mean to say that I don’t think the second season is utterly fantastic and one of the greatest shows of the year – and the finale is a testament to that, in my eyes.
Bella Ramsey once again knocks their performance as Ellie out of the park, depicting the young girl’s devastation over the blood on her hands and the grief that’s motivating her to survive and seek revenge.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces when Jesse was shot dead, a brutal demise for a selfless character who deserved so much more, and had so much promise for helping to make the world a better place.
Despite not being in most of the season, Kaitlyn Dever is a complete scene stealer as Abby, and her face-off against Ellie in the final moments of the finale had me on the edge of my seat.
Two years feels like an agonising wait for season three, but it’s one I’ll happily endure for what I know will be another showcase of masterpiece TV.
‘Amazing finale,’ @MovieManiac89 added. ‘Very similar to the game with added moments. Bella Ramsey is a powerhouse. Can’t believe we have to wait a year & some for season 3. A seven-episode season is too short!! 😭😭.’
@CaptainKaye42 said that the finale ‘crushed’ them, stating: ‘What happens to Ellie in this episode is just so brutal, as she’s caught in the cycle of violence.
‘Also, Jesse gets a great moment to shine, putting his selflessness on full display. Looking forward to season 3, after THAT cliffhanger!’
Another fan called @DaltonPaz2003 admitted that they wished there were more episodes in the season, but they found the cliffhanger ‘effective’.
‘Just finished the finale for #TheLastOfUs. It was good from beginning to end,’ @SpookyBS said. ‘It is a solid conclusion to this season, and now the 2-year wait has begun 😭.’
Several fans felt heartbroken by Mel’s death in particular in the finale, praising Ariela for her stellar performance.
The third season is expected to show more from Abby’s perspective (Picture: HBO)
Just before he died, Jesse found out that Dina was pregnant with his baby (Picture: HBO)
‘Oh Mel, you didn’t deserve it,’ @fiore__xx tweeted, while @noradominick wrote: ‘Mel’s death was hard in the game but somehow the show made it even more gut wrenching.
‘Between Ariela Barer’s performance and Mel begging Ellie to save her child it hurt, but also with the added context in the show of what Anna went through when Ellie was born too.’
@umbrllathv also shared: ‘Mel’s death is just sadder every time you look at it like the show version just made it worse. I’m so upset she deserved so much better.’
Following the release of the first season of The Last of Us in 2023, it’s currently expected that the third season will come out in another two years’ time, in 2027.
This is looking even more likely due to the fact that the third season hasn’t been filmed yet.
The Last of Us season 2 is available to stream on Sky and NOW.