The Last of Us Finale: Breaking Down Every Twist in Season 2’s Ending

The Last of Us Season 2 kicked off on April 13, 2025, and wrapped up its run on May 25, 2025, with a finale that left everyone talking. Throughout the season, things got more intense with each episode, and the final episode brought that tension to a peak. In this guide, you'll find everything that went down in the finale, scene by scene, with nothing left out.

Part 1. Was Episode 7 the Finale of The Last of Us?

If you've been waiting around for a new episode of The Last of Us tonight, there's nothing new airing on HBO or MAX. That's because Season 2 officially ended last weekend. The season came with a total of seven episodes, and Episode 7, titled "Convergence," was the finale. So, if you saw that one, then yep - you've already watched how Season 2 closes out.

Part 2. The Last of Us Finale: What Led to the Conclusion of Season 2?

The final episode circles back to everything that Season 2 has been building up to. Ellie reaches the edge of what revenge can cost, and the fallout is brutal. After Joel was murdered by Abby and her crew early in the season, Ellie charged into Seattle, tracking down the people involved. But the deeper she goes, the more things start slipping through her fingers.

Abby's reason for revenge ties back to what Joel did in the Season 1 finale. Her father was one of the victims.

So now both Ellie and Abby are chasing justice that feels personal, and that makes every step messier. When Ellie gets "whale" and "wheel" out of Nora before leaving her behind, the trail starts to clear. Dina tries to talk sense into Ellie, hoping they can stop the bloodshed, but Ellie's already too far in.

Instead of helping Tommy, Ellie spots the Ferris wheel and aquarium that Nora hinted at. She ditches her plan and rides off into a storm, heading toward them by boat. That detour nearly ends her. She gets caught by the Seraphites, a group locked in conflict with the W.L.F. They're brutal and about to sacrifice her when the Wolves strike. She escapes and presses on toward the aquarium.

Inside, she finds Owen and Mel, both part of Abby's group. Tensions go off the rails when Owen reaches for a gun, and Ellie reacts. One bullet ends both of them. Mel's pregnant, and in her last moments, she pleads for her baby's life. Ellie freezes, horrified. She can't do anything. Mel dies thinking her baby might have been saved, but nothing was.

By the time Jesse and Tommy find her, things are broken beyond repair. Abby storms in, shoots Tommy, and kills Jesse. She tells Ellie she should've finished things earlier, then fires again as the screen cuts out.

The episode closes with a glimpse of Abby inside a repurposed stadium-turned-commune, setting the stage for what comes next in Season 3.

Part 3. Did Ellie Die In the Finale of The Last of Us Season 2?

It doesn't seem that Ellie dies in the Season 2 finale. That final shot cuts to black after Abby fires, but just like in the original video game, Ellie should survive. She is left physically and emotionally wrecked, though. In the game, her story continues with more focus on Abby. It shows what led her to that moment. Eventually, everything will pick back up when Ellie finds out where Abby is again, and it all starts to boil over.

The show stays close to that storyline. The theme is steady - how one death can set off something much bigger. So, according to the game, Season 3 will go deeper into Abby's side of the story and the bigger conflict between the Wolves and the Scars.

Part 4. Do They Ever Find a Cure In The Last of Us?

No, they never find a cure. Ellie's immunity isn't a solution either. Throughout The Last of Us season 1 and season 2, there's no progress at all. There are no new possibilities showing up in the sequel, and the infection stays active. Humans get better at staying alive, but the infected still roam the world. That part never changes.

Joel's choice in the Season 1 finale makes things worse. When he wiped out the Fireflies and killed the doctor, he also killed the one doctor who might have had the skill to attempt a cure. There aren't many trained scientists left. Schools and labs are gone, and most of the people with that knowledge didn't survive the outbreak. A cure would need someone who understood how to develop it, and those kinds of doctors are nearly extinct. That Firefly surgeon was one of the last chances.

By Season 2, there's hardly any talk about the cure and the vaccine. Abby doesn't mention it once. She isn't hunting Joel for ruining the chance of a cure. She's doing it because he killed her father. That changes the entire meaning of the fallout. Joel wasn't some evil man stopping the cure. He made a decision to protect someone he cared about. And even though that decision caused problems, it came from a place of love, not hate.

However, there are a few moments where Ellie's immunity could have mattered. Tess, Riley, Sam, and that couple who fled Jackson might have had a chance if something came from Ellie's condition. It wouldn't have fixed everything, but it could have made a difference here and there.

Still, killing Ellie for the vaccine idea never made sense. They could've just studied an infected person's brain. Ellie's mom probably got bitten before giving birth, and Marlene must have known that. Cutting Ellie open might not have done anything at all. If there were any traces of the infection left, it probably would've just been leftover remnants.

Part 5. What Do Critics Say About The Last of Us Season 2 Finale?

The Season 2 finale of The Last of Us is a mixed bag when it comes to the reactions from viewers and critics alike. Some praised the performances, while others felt it deviated too much from the game or suffered from pacing issues.

Graeme Virtue from The Guardian described the finale as "frustrating," noting that while the confrontation between Ellie and Abby was intense, the abrupt ending left many questions unanswered. Similarly, Polygon criticized the show's portrayal of Ellie, arguing that the character was weakened compared to her video game counterpart.

On the other hand, some appreciated the show's bold choices. Decider highlighted the moral complexities presented in the finale, emphasizing the consequences of vengeance and the emotional turmoil faced by the characters. Additionally, El País praised the whole season 2 for the intense emotional narrative it offers and the exploration of the endless cycle of violence through storytelling.

Although the overall IMDB score for Season 2 remains fairly strong, it is noticeably lower than Season 1. Some individual episodes rated a few episodes as low as 6.2, with users calling out rushed storytelling and inconsistent pacing.

The finale, in particular, received mixed ratings, with some praising the tension and others saying the ending felt incomplete or cut off, especially since Ellie's story with Abby didn't fully play out.

Audience reactions were equally divided. On Reddit, users expressed disappointment with the pacing and character development. One user commented, "The writing, the character, and the acting were all so poor. I feel like they couldn't decide whether Ellie was selfish or wanted to help people." Another noted, "The whole season felt like it moved too quickly, without giving the emotional moments enough room to breathe." But many Reddit users have praised it a lot as well.

Despite the criticisms, the show maintained strong viewership numbers, with HBO reporting an average of 37 million viewers globally per episode.

Part 6. Is There a Season 3 for The Last of Us?

Yes, HBO confirmed Season 3 even before Season 2 aired. But don't expect it anytime soon because it is going to be a long wait. At a press event on May 23, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said they still haven't figured out how much characters like Ellie, Dina, Tommy, or Jesse will be involved. That's a clear sign the writing isn't done yet.

Bella Ramsey also mentioned that no scripts have been shared with the cast yet. She expects to return in some capacity but doesn't think she'll be featured as much this time around. Based on what she's heard so far, her role will likely be smaller in the next season.

Season 3 of The Last of Us is expected to follow the same shift that happens in the original game. Instead of focusing on Ellie's point of view, the story may center on Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever. Dever is currently filming Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, so the next chapter likely won't start rolling until that wraps.

Craig Mazin explained that production has been getting more difficult with each season, since the scale of every episode keeps growing. However, he also mentioned that nobody wants to wait for 4 years for another season. So while Season 3 is locked in, you will probably have to sit tight for a while before it lands, maybe sooner than later.

Part 7. Make Zombie Apocalypse Movies with HitPaw AI Video Generator

Are you in love with The Last of Us seasons and want to make short zombie apocalypse movies? Well, you can create an alternate version of your favorite show using HitPaw Online AI Video Generator. Who knows? Your teaser clips may go viral on social media.

Here is how:

• Step 1.Visit HitPaw Online AI Video Generator, and click "Text to Video."

  

• Step 2.Write the detailed prompt for your zombie video, and then set the video resolution, length, and aspect ratio according to the platform you want to share the clip.

  

• Step 3.Hit "Generate" and download your zombie movie.

  

Part 8. FAQs of The Last of Us Finale

Conclusion on The Last of Us Finale

The Last of Us Season 2 is all about storytelling and conflicts that changed everything. From Joel's death to Ellie's breakdown and Abby's growing presence, every episode brought raw entertainment. The finale didn't tie everything up neatly, and that's what got people talking. Viewers had mixed reactions, critics pointed out pacing issues, and some fans felt it didn't come close to Season 1. Still, there's no denying the performances or how deeply this story cuts. HBO already confirmed a third season, though the wait might be long. The story isn't over, and if the game is anything to go by, you're in for more shifts. One thing's clear - The Last of Us finale of Season 2 left its mark.