The Last of Us on HBO: that remarkable ending explained in detail

The Last of Us on HBO that remarkable ending

Many a gamer and series fan enjoyed the first episode of The Last of Us on HBO Max this weekend. It’s a horror series based on one of Sony’s biggest games. And the ending may leave some people with question marks. WANT editor Dennis Mons gives you some answers.

First of all: hallelujah to Craig Mazin who may have brought about the first really good film adaptation of a game. I had the pleasure of watching all the episodes already this weekend (benefit of the trade), but I can imagine some people have questions about the ending of the first episode.

HBO goes ‘to the Max’ with The Last of Us

Obviously, Mazin (also known for the incredibly good Chernobyl series) has a lot of respect for The Last of Us. He couldn’t be more different, as he is joined by Neil Druckmann who wrote and directed the game.

The Last of Us on HBO will have few surprises for those who have played the game. The show (almost!) follows the game’s story step by step. The end of the first episode may be a bit confusing for some who have not played thus.

NOTE: SPOILERS

Also in the series, we follow protagonist Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) closely. Thus, we see flashbacks of him in 2003 when the outbreak of Cordyceps begins: a fungus that transforms people into zombies.

Then we see him in 2023; a broken, hard man living a quarantined area in Boston. We also see how Joel and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) meet and Joel is asked to escort her to a hospital on the other side of America. And he certainly makes an effort in the following episodes on HBO.

Why does Ellie have to go to the other side of the country?

At the end of the first episode on HBO, we find out something very important about the young lady. After she is scanned for an infection, in fact, all the bells and whistles go off. So she is definitely infected.

However, Ellie confesses that the bite of an infected person is already three weeks old. In other words, she is immune to the fungus. That makes her blood and DNA invaluable in a search for a cure.

Nick Offerman as Bill in The Last of Us. (Image: HBO)

This then immediately explains why the so-called Fireflies, a group of rebels, are so diligently searching for her. It also reveals why Joel and his companion Tess have been asked to smuggle her out of town.

On to episode two of The Last of Us on HBO Max

Without giving any additional spoilers, I can reveal that the bow is also stretched in the next episode on HBO Max. Joel and Tess manage to smuggle Ellie out of Boston and the goal is to get her to a hospital in Massachusetts. A trip of about 40 kilometers, but after that it’s not over yet.

And as a final bread crumb, we got to know something new. In fact, Joel has two friends, Bill (played by Nick Offerman) and Frank (played by Murray Bartlett) who can help him in his quest. However, Joel turns on his radio and hears the pair of them playing an 80’s song: and when the gentlemen do that, shit hits the fan.

In other words: Joel and Ellie go looking for Bill and Frank at the risk of their lives.

Feel free to put the next episode in your calendar, because it’s more than worth it!

Exit mobile version