Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 are down below.Season 2 of The Last of Us didn’t take much time in devastating the viewers with one of the most gruesome and emotional episodes in recent history. The premiere ended on a horrifying note, and many fans knew something terrible was coming, but they didn’t know that it would be so brutal. The second episode not only saw Joel getting killed, but it also saw the brutality that people can resort to avenge the death of their loved ones.
One of the most cataclysmic aspects of the show was how Abby didn’t leave any stone unturned to hurt Joel before killing him. In the premiere, she told her team she wanted to kill him slowly, and that’s what she did. Moreover, that particular moment became even worse with Ellie’s inclusion. She saw Joel getting brutally killed in front of her and couldn’t do anything to save him. But now, it’s time for her to gather herself up and avenge Joel’s death, and that’s what the third episode is all about. It’s about Ellie embarking on a journey that is quite similar to Abby’s. Will the people of Jackson support her, or will she have to do everything alone? Let’s take a look at what happened in Episode 3 of The Last of Us Season 2.
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Unsurpringly, Ellie Is Still Having Nightmares About Joel’s Brutal Death In The Last of Us
The third episode of The Last of Us Season 2 begins right after the tragic death of Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and the horrifying attack that took place in Jackson. It seems Joel’s body has been brought back to Jackson and is being kept along with people who lost their lives in the fight against the infected. Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna) finds out about his brother’s death and sits beside the body, crying while cleaning his body. He looks at the watch Joel was watching and whispers that he should give his (Tommy) greetings to Sarah, Joel’s daughter, who died after enduring fatal wounds during the chaos caused by the outbreak of the Cordyceps fungus.
On the other hand, Ellie has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for her injuries. Apart from her, the medical staff and other residents of Jackson are helping people who were injured during the attack. A few moments later, Ellie finally opened her eyes and saw what was happening. The doctors did tell her to take everything slowly, but she looked disturbed, and it is understandable because she saw a person who was not only her savior but also a father figure, getting killed in front of her eyes. As she looked in front of her, she saw glimpses of how Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) killed Joel with a golf club and started screaming. The medical staff tried calming her, but when they saw that they were not able to help her, they sedated her.
Dina Tells A Shocking Truth About [Spoiler], While The WLF Unleashes Chaos
Three months later, Jackson is finally returning to normalcy, and residents are trying to rebuild the settlement. However, Ellie is still in the hospital and getting checked by the doctor. It’s quite evident that she wants to get out of the place and take a final test before leaving. However, as soon as the doctor leaves, Gail (played by Catherine O’Hara) enters her room and asks her about how she’s feeling. Ellie admits that she misses Joel, and she shouldn’t have been so hard on him. Gail asks her about her last encounter with Joel and if she talked to him. Ellie says that she saw him sitting on the porch after the New Year’s party, but didn’t say anything to him. The conversation continues with Gail telling Ellie about how Joel might have wronged her because that was the last thing Joel told the therapist. Ellie said she didn’t feel “wronged” and would want to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Finally, Gail gives her go-ahead, and Ellie leaves the hospital. After exiting the hospital, she goes straight to Joel’s house and goes through his things. She wasn’t able to control herself and started crying while holding one of his shirts.
Ellie had to wipe her tears after she heard Dina’s (played by Isabel Merced) voice and went to the living room to see her. While sitting at the long dinner table, Dina pushes a box of cookies in front of Ellie and tells her she made those. Ellie was happy, but confused, and asked her if there was a special occasion. Dina said that she made these cookies because she was about to tell her something that would make her angry. Dina noted that she didn’t tell her all the things that she knew about Joel’s killers because the doctors told her not to give you any kind of shock. Moreover, she knew that if she had told those things to Ellie, she would have ripped off those medical tubes and started her journey to take revenge.
This piece of information made Ellie furious, and she told Dina that she had cost them time. But she understood that Dina wanted her to be at 100% before taking revenge. Dina finally told her the names of the people who were present at the cabin and said that the person who killed her was Abby. Additionally, she told her that those people belonged to the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and were going to Seattle. In the meantime, viewers get to see the Seraphites trying to relocate and talking about their prophet. While relocating, one of the Seraphites used whistling to tell others that something or someone dangerous is approaching, so they took shelter. When a little girl asks his father if demons are following them, the father replies that they are not demons, but wolves. In short, he meant that people from WLF were after them.
Ellie Pleads For Help From Members Of Jackson To Avenge Joel’s Death
Back in Jackson, Ellie knew that she needed Tommy’s support if she wanted to avenge Joel’s death. She wanted some of their best fighters to accompany her to Seattle to finish Abby and her group. Tommy said he would take this matter to Maria and put it ahead of the council because everyone needs to know about this. Before ending the conversation, Tommy tells Ellie about the place where they buried Joel, and that she should see him. But Ellie said she would see him right before they left for Seattle. Conversely, Ellie is trying to get herself ready for a fight and training with Jesse (played by Young Mazino). She knew that Jesse was on the council and asked for his help during the vote. Jesse simply told her to write her thoughts down because she was angry, and no one would vote in her favor if she was angry.
During the meeting, people seem to believe that it’s too early to send people out to Seattle, even when they are trying to rebuild their city. In the end, Ellie spoke from the heart and told the council how she didn’t want revenge, but justice. Moreover, she told them that she wouldn’t think twice before helping them if they were in trouble, and it was time for them to do the same. Eventually, the council voted in favor of “not” sending the best of their 16 people to Seattle, which upsets Ellie.
How Did Episode 3 Of The Last of Us Season 2 End?
In the final moments of the episode, Ellie was already preparing to leave Jackson and making arrangements to make her way to Seattle. While doing so, she hears a knock at the door, and it is Dina, who has arrived at her place to talk to her. Ellie told her that she shouldn’t try to change her mind, but Dina didn’t come there to stop. Instead, she said that she would join her on this journey. As a result, Dina made a plan about how they could reach Seattle if they took the “forest” route. Additionally, she made it clear that they would need more supplies and a good number of weapons because they might come face-to-face with the infected or wild animals. Dina told her to meet at the East Gate, and someone else might be waiting for them with some assistance.
As they reach the East gate, Ellie sees Seth (played by Robert John Burke) arriving with Dina. He gives Ellie a sniper rifle that will help them in their journey. They finally embark on their journey to Seattle and take a halt in the middle of the woods when it starts to rain. The next day, they resume their journey and come across a dead body. It turns out to be the dead body of a Seraphite, and when Dina searches the area, she finds out that the entire cavalry has been killed, including the little kids. They are shocked to see the gruesome scene and continue their journey as they get closer to Seattle. The episode ends with the members of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) going out for some kind of patrol, and it seems Ellie and Dina don’t know how outnumbered they truly are.
The third episode of The Last of Us Season 2 feels like the calm before the storm. The premiere episode felt relatively similar and ended on a terrifying note. The third episode ended on a similar note, and it looks like something catastrophic might happen in the next episode when Ellie and Dina might come face to face with their enemies. The episode does a wonderful job in showcasing quiet tension—each scene humming with emotional weight, as if the world is holding its breath. While the surface simmers with tenderness and domesticity, especially between Ellie and Dina, the undercurrent of dread is unmistakable. There’s a looming sense that safety is only temporary, and that their brief moments of peace are the final flickers before the lights go out. As Ellie and Dina inch toward confrontation, the emotional stakes rise—not just for survival, but for everything they’ve endured.
