The Last of Us Season 2 has now taken the Squid Game route, where the new season feels like only half of a complete story, with the next part presumably arriving as Season 3. The seventh episode, which serves as the season finale, has aired on Max (in the US) and JioHotstar (in India). While it delivers shocking deaths and sees the return of two major characters after a long absence, it's hard not to feel underwhelmed. The cliffhanger ending of The Last of Us Season 2 offers no real closure, leaving viewers with a sense of emptiness rather than anticipation - especially with the next season potentially over a year away. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 6 Explained: How Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s HBO Show Changed a Major Flashback Scene With Joe Pantoliano’s Cameo.

Of course, if you’ve played The Last of Us Part II video game, you’d be expecting most of the major twists, turns, and character deaths. In the episode, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continues her vengeance-fuelled mission, killing nearly all of Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) associates who were present when Joel (Pedro Pascal) was murdered. In the process, she also suffers significant losses, narrowly surviving a brutal encounter with a group of Seraphites - who conveniently spare her when their village is attacked by the WLF.

So, who dies in the finale of The Last of Us Season 2? Let’s break it down.

Nora

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

Nora (Tati Gabrielle) was last seen in episode 5, infected by airborne Cordyceps spores in a quarantined hospital basement. Ellie had tortured her for information on Abby’s whereabouts. Though we aren’t shown the aftermath, Ellie later tells Dina (Isabela Merced) that she let Nora live after getting some cryptic clues ("Whale... wheel"). While Nora is technically spared, the infection ensures a fate far worse than death. Ellie’s lack of remorse also underscores how deeply she has descended into darkness, consumed by vengeance.

Owen, Mel, and Their Unborn Child

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

While searching for Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Ellie and Jesse (Young Mazino) follow the sound of gunfire to a location where Tommy has been sniping WLF soldiers. Nearby, Ellie spots an abandoned aquarium with a whale statue and a large wheel - finally deciphering Nora’s cryptic clue about Abby's location.

After a fight with Jesse, which sends them on separate paths (he goes to find Tommy, she heads to the aquarium), Ellie braves a perilous boat ride and an ambush by Seraphites before reaching the island. There, instead of Abby, she finds Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer) mid-argument about Owen’s plans to search for Abby. When Ellie confronts them for Abby’s location, Owen draws his gun, prompting Ellie to shoot him instinctively. The bullet also strikes Mel in the throat, and Ellie is horrified to discover she was pregnant. In her final moments, Mel pleads with Ellie to save her unborn child via caesarean, but she dies before anything can be done.

Jesse

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

Even if you haven’t played the game, Jesse’s death likely didn't come as a surprise. He’s one of the kindest characters in this bleak, post-apocalyptic world - a dangerous trait to have. In the episode, Jesse learns that he’s going to be a father and expresses his desire to live and settle down, which in a show like this is essentially a death sentence. He opens up to Ellie about the woman he loves and his dream of staying in Jackson,and that just putting one more nail in your future coffin.

Shortly after reconciling with Ellie at the theatre, Jesse is suddenly shot dead by Abby. The scene plays out almost identically to the video game - swift, brutal, and heartbreaking. It’s a devastating loss of one of the show’s most likeable characters.

The Ending and What It Teases

The finale leaves Ellie’s fate hanging after Abby fires a gun in her direction. It also sets up Season 3, which appears poised to follow the same narrative path as The Last of Us Part II.

However, when the game took this direction, it provoked strong backlash from fans. Whether the show will elicit similar reactions remains to be seen.

What to Expect in 'The Last of Us' Season 3 (and is Ellie Dead?)

The final scene jumps back two days before Abby reaches the theatre where Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and Tommy are holed up. We see Manny (Danny Ramirez) waking Abby, informing her that Isaac has called a meeting. It's revealed that they are in the WLF headquarters in Seattle, confirming that Season 3 will chronicle Abby’s journey during those two crucial days - mirroring the game.

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

Season 2 kept Abby mostly off-screen,while Ellie and Dina searched for her in Seattle. Her group had splintered: Manny (Danny Ramirez) still works for Isaac, Nora was stationed at the hospital, and during a conversation between Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) and Elise Park (whose son died from the spores in episode 5), it’s revealed that Abby, along with Mel and Owen, has gone AWOL. Isaac had even seen Abby as his likely successor. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: From Joel’s Return to a Tragic Demise – 5 Events We Expect To See Happen in Final Two Episodes.

Season 3 will explore the reasons behind their desertion. In the game, Abby follows Owen and Mel, who are weary of the endless conflict and wish to live in peace, especially since Mel is pregnant. The new season could also delve into the escalating war between the WLF and the Seraphites. In the game, Abby rescues a Seraphite child and forms a surrogate sibling bond with them. We also be getting to know more of the characters that Ellie had killed or left for dead in the next season, in case you want to feel bad for them, like Nora, Owen and Mel.

If we’re lucky, Season 3 might even introduce the terrifying Rat King - the most horrifying infected monster in the game.

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

Eventually, Abby discovers the bodies of her friends and is indirectly led to Ellie’s hideout at the theatre. Importantly, Abby doesn’t kill Ellie. Instead, she spares her and Dina, telling them never to return to Seattle.

Tommy’s Revenge Arc

The theatre attack might also realign Tommy’s storyline with the one in the game. In the game, Tommy is more vengeful than Ellie, having been with Joel when he was captured and killed. In the show, however, Dina was with Joel during the horde attack, while Tommy stayed behind to defend Jackson. He and Jesse came to Seattle to protect Ellie and Dina, not for revenge.

Now, with Jesse also dead and Tommy himself severely beaten by Abby, his thirst for revenge may finally ignite. In the game, Tommy becomes so obsessed with vengeance that he separates from his wife, Maria. Later, when Ellie and Dina are settled on a farm with their baby, Tommy reappears and convinces Ellie to return to Seattle to hunt Abby once more. The showrunners have hinted at a fourth season, so this arc may unfold then.

A Still From The Last of Us Season 2

In the nearer term, Season 3 may show Tommy killing Manny - remember the sniper responsible for the WLF soldier killings Ellie and Jesse heard on the walkie-talkie? This could lead Abby to wrongly assume Tommy is behind all her friends’ deaths.

So, are you ready to spend nearly an entire season following Joel’s killer and discovering what she’s been up to in the days leading up to Jesse’s murder? The Last of Us Season 3 is set to begin filming next month, and if all goes well, it could release in 2026.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2025 07:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).