Summary:
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Joel’s choice to save Ellie triggers major consequences The Last of Us in Season 2.
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Ellie and Abby’s revenge arcs dominate the post-Jackson narrative.
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Season 2 premieres April 13 (US) and April 14 (UK/AUS) on HBO and Sky.
What Happens Right After Joel’s Decision in The Last of Us Season 1?
At the end of The Last of Us Season 1, Joel kills the Fireflies’ lead surgeons and Marlene to save Ellie, halting a potential cure in order to protect her life. He lies to Ellie about the events, saying the Fireflies had given up on finding a cure.
Back in Jackson, Joel and Ellie settle into a peaceful routine. Joel adopts a more fatherly role, while Ellie starts integrating with other residents such as Dina and Jesse. However, her trust in Joel is fractured, especially after his evasive answers about the Firefly incident. Her quiet response—“okay”—hints at suppressed doubt.
How Does The Last of Us Season 2 Pick Up the Story Five Years Later?
Season 2 begins approximately five years after the events in Salt Lake City, with Ellie now 19 and patrolling Jackson alongside Dina. Despite trying to live a normal life, Ellie’s bond with Joel is strained, haunted by the suspicion he lied about the Fireflies.
A pivotal flashback—expected in Season 2—shows Ellie uncovering the truth about what Joel did. The confrontation leaves their relationship fractured. Meanwhile, Joel continues playing guitar, a symbol of his efforts to reconnect with Ellie.
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Why Does Abby Hunt Down Joel in The Last of Us Season 2?
Abby Anderson, a new character introduced in Season 2, is revealed to be the daughter of the lead Firefly surgeon Joel killed. Now a soldier with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), Abby is driven by vengeance.
Early in the season, Abby and her crew—Manny, Owen, Mel, and Nora—track Joel to Jackson. Pretending to need help, she lures Joel and Tommy into a lodge. Abby kills Joel with a golf club, in a brutal and emotional scene that Ellie witnesses but is too late to stop. This act sparks the season’s primary conflict.
How Does Ellie’s Revenge Drive The Last of Us Season 2 Plot?
Ellie, devastated by Joel’s death, embarks on a revenge mission to Seattle, targeting every member of Abby’s group. Joined by Dina, she hunts and kills Nora, Owen, and Mel—only realizing too late that Mel was pregnant.
These actions mirror Joel’s own moral decline in Season 1, reflecting the cycle of violence that now consumes Ellie. Her methods become increasingly brutal, including the torture of Nora in a hospital basement. The psychological toll begins to show.
Season 2 also dedicates significant screen time to Abby, offering her side of the story. While part of the WLF, Abby grows disillusioned with its brutality. She forms a bond with Lev and Yara, siblings from a rival faction called the Seraphites.
Abby’s evolving moral compass contrasts with Ellie’s descent. The two women clash twice—first in Seattle, and later at a theater where Abby kills Jesse, wounds Tommy, and nearly kills Ellie and Dina before Lev urges her to spare them.
READ MORE: New cast members in The Last of Us Season 2
What Is the Final Outcome of Ellie and Abby’s Conflict in Season 2?
Months after the Seattle showdown, Ellie is living with Dina and their child, JJ, on a farm. However, PTSD and Joel’s memory drive Ellie to hunt Abby one last time, despite Dina begging her to stay.
Ellie finds Abby and Lev imprisoned and tortured by a slaver group. In a brutal final fight on a California beach, Ellie nearly drowns Abby but lets her go after flashing back to a memory of Joel. Abby and Lev escape, and Ellie returns to an empty home—Dina has left. The season ends with Ellie alone but freed from her obsession.
Tommy suffers injuries during the conflict, leaving him limping and partially blind. Maria maintains order in Jackson, but the community feels the weight of Joel’s absence. The death of Jesse and Ellie’s departure add to the collective trauma.
With the Fireflies largely dismantled, and the only viable vaccine research destroyed, Joel’s decision ends humanity’s hope for a cure, deepening the chaos across a world fractured by factions like the WLF and Seraphites.
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What Can Viewers Expect from The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO?
The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on April 13, 2025 (US) on Max, and April 14 (UK/AUS) on Sky and Now TV. The season spans seven episodes, adapting key arcs from The Last of Us Part II.
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