The Last of Us TV series has more seasons ahead, but fans are curious if the series will follow the video game events to have the same ending as the game franchise so far. HBO's The Last of Us is based on the 2013 video game of the same name by Naughty Dog. It has already been renewed for a season 3, which will be at least partially based on the video game sequel, The Last of Us Part II. HBO's The Last of Us has made several changes from the original video game, but it still follows roughly the same story.
The Last of Us is about Joel, a middle-aged man protecting and transporting teenager Ellie across the wasteland of a post-apocalyptic United States. Ellie is the only person in the world who is immune to the zombie-like Cordyceps infection, so could be the key to finding a vaccine or cure. So far in HBO's The Last of Us, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) have traveled from Massachusetts to the Midwest, with a few stops along the way. The series has made sure that all of its big moments have followed the games.
What Happens In The Last Of Us Game's Ending
The Original Game Ends With A Lot Of Death
In The Last of Us video game, after escaping a group of cannibals in Colorado, Joel and Ellie finally manage to catch up to a group of Fireflies in Salt Lake City, Utah. They're both in bad shape, with Ellie unconscious after almost drowning, but the Fireflies take them to a hospital.
Fireflies leader Marlene, who discovered Ellie's immunity and sent her with Joel in the first place, tells Joel that Ellie will be going into surgery. To make a vaccine, the part of Ellie's brain that has been infected by the Cordyceps (from previous bites) needs to be removed, which will kill her. Joel, not wanting Ellie to die, goes on a killing spree to save her, taking down the doctor about to operate and Marline.
Ellie wakes up after the whole ordeal, as Joel is driving them away from the city. Joel lies to her about what happened, saying that the Fireflies had already found other immune people but weren't able to create a cure. Ellie is hesitant to believe him, but he insists this is the truth. They return to his brother Tommy's settlement in Jackson, Wyoming.
Did The Last Of Us Season 1 End The Same Way As The Game?
The Endings Shared The Same Arc
The Last of Us episode 8, "When We Are in Need," brings the show back to the present, with Ellie facing off against the game's group of cannibals while Joel continues to recover from the injury he sustained in episode 6. The Last of Us episode 9, "Look for the Light," covers the final events of the first game, complete with Joel killing everyone in his way and lying to Ellie about what really happened.
What Happens In The Last Of Us Part 2's Ending
Ellie Ultimately Allows Her Enemy To Live
After circling each other for some time, Ellie and Abby face off...
Unfortunately, before they can reconcile, Joel is killed by Abby - the daughter of the doctor who was going to perform surgery on Ellie, and one of the people Joel killed at the end of The Last of Us. Ellie is then set on a path of revenge. Ellie and her girlfriend Dina hunt down Abby, while the game switches to Abby's point of view, offering a sympathetic look at Joel's killer. As a game player, the audience can understand why each point-of-view character wants the other one gone.
After circling each other for some time, Ellie and Abby face off, with Abby getting the upper hand, but she ultimately lets Ellie go. Months later, Ellie and Dina are living together with Dina's son. When Ellie gets word of Abby's whereabouts, she leaves against Dina's wishes. This time, it's Ellie who defeats Abby, but lets her live. Ellie returns home to find Dina and her son gone. She plays Joel's guitar and thinks back on their last conversation.
Will The Last Of Us Show End Where Part 2 Did Or Continue Beyond It?
The Series Will Likely End At The Same Point
Unless some miraculous thing happened and the video game production was accelerated by 1000% and the third game magically came out. I am not interested in going beyond the existing source material. [...] I don’t want to be in the position of spinning plates to just spool out season after season of stuff. To me, it’s important that things are purposeful, and if they’re purposeful, that means they have endings. That means everything you do is carefully selected and chosen, not just there to keep going.
There is currently a plan in place for The Last of Us to go "beyond season three" to tell the story of the games that are already available. The second game is set up in three distinct parts, and it appears the series is likely going to be set up in a similar fashion, though the timeline might not play out exactly the same. Abby's backstory, for example, is being moved up in the narrative, so the audience will have empathy for her character earlier than they do in the game. The series will also have a slightly larger time jump than the games.
Things could change between now and the finale of The Last of Us season 2 or season 3, but it seems Mazin is set to end the show where the games currently end. Though he references a third game, The Last of Us Part III has not been announced. Only an untitled standalone multiplayer game is in development. Judging by the creator's comments, and the trajectory of the show so far, The Last of Us will likely follow the plots of the games to their conclusions - and to relative accuracy - but go no further.
