The Last of Us season 2, episode 1 reintroduces one of the story's most important elements – Ellie's immunity. The new season picks up five years after the events of season 1, following Ellie and Joel as they navigate life in the survivors’ camp in Wyoming. After a brief appearance from Kaitlyn Dever as the vengeful Abby, a new addition to The Last of Us’ cast, the majority of this episode explores the fractured dynamic between Ellie and Joel
At the end of The Last of Us season 1, Joel makes the controversial decision to save Ellie from the Fireflies after discovering that they’re going to kill her to study her brain and potentially develop a cure for the zombie virus. Pedro Pascal’s protagonist kills everybody in the facility to ensure that no witnesses to his crime survive, and this lingering secret is still weighing on his mind in season 2.
Joel & Tommy Are The Only Ones Who Know About Ellie's Immunity In The Last Of Us
Joel Could Only Trust His Brother With The Crucial Information
Since Joel ensured that nobody survived his encounter with the Fireflies in The Last of Us’ season 1 finale, the character has decided that Ellie’s immunity should be kept a secret. However, even Joel couldn’t keep it quiet from his brother Tommy, who reveals just how much he knows very early into season 2’s first episode. When Ellie mentions that she can’t be infected, Tommy shushes her and reminds her “We don’t talk about that.”
These simple words prove that Joel and Tommy have had a discussion about Ellie’s condition and decided that it would be safer to keep her immunity a secret from the other human survivors at the Wyoming camp. However, Ellie’s brash decision to shout her secret at the top of her lungs hints that she won’t be able to keep it under wraps forever.
Why It's Safer To Keep Ellie's Immunity A Secret
The Teenager Would Become A Public Target Otherwise
One of the trickiest things about The Last of Us’ rich post-apocalyptic world is that you don't know who can be trusted. Even characters that audiences think they can trust ultimately turn out to have ulterior motives - just like Marlene’s decision at the end of The Last of Us season 1. Therefore, Joel and Tommy are right to keep Ellie’s immunity under wraps, as many of the survivors would be tempted to hand her over to the remaining Fireflies to develop a vaccine and go back to a normal life.
Joel’s decision was likely influenced by Marlene’s betrayal in the season 1 finale, which proved that he couldn’t trust anybody but himself and Tommy. While it’s easy to understand the character’s intentions, The Last of Us makes it clear that audiences don’t necessarily have to agree with him. It could have been better for humanity if the Fireflies were indeed able to create a cure, but it’s this conflict between duty and love that makes the story so captivating.
