The Last of Us Season 2: Ellie’s Journey From Brat to Badass

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Summary

  • Ellie navigates a post-apocalyptic world shaped by a pandemic, sought after as a potential cure by the Fireflies.
  • Despite initial rocky ties with Joel, Ellie evolves, showcasing vulnerability, humor, and survival skills throughout their journey.
  • Ellie grows into her own in The Last of Us Season 2, setting boundaries with Joel and becoming a valuable member of the community.

In the premiere of “The Last of Us,” we’re introduced to Ellie, a fourteen-year-old girl who’s grown up in a post-apocalyptic world without knowing her mother. Held prisoner by the rebel faction called the Fireflies, she is confined to a solitary cell in Boston. Despite her attempts to escape, the affection and guidance she receives from Marlene, their leader, indicate that Ellie plays a crucial role in the show’s storyline.

In “The Last of Us” Season 1, Ellie grew up unaware of how life was before the Cordyceps outbreak devastated the world. Her perspective on existence and its possibilities is solely defined by the post-pandemic reality. Initially, her travel companion is Joel Miller, who initially resists the role but eventually becomes more like a parent to her, despite their initial friction. As they venture across the country together, Ellie undergoes numerous experiences that lead to her personal growth and transformation.

Ellie’s Beginnings In The Last of Us

In the initial episode of “The Last of Us” Season 1, titled “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” Ellie embarks on her adventure. She finds herself imprisoned within a Fireflies hideout located in Boston Quarantine Zone. Despite her sharp-tongued and profane nature, she’s no stranger to cursing out others – this is a consequence of being born in a world where such virtues as civility and compassion are scarce commodities.

Ellie, who is the sole survivor of the Cordyceps brain infection in humans, implores Marlene for freedom. Despite having spent much of her childhood dealing with the fallout from the virus spread, she maintains a youthful spirit. At one point during the narrative, she naively inquires of Joel:

Who or what could have initiated this? Since transmission occurs through bites, wouldn’t the initial carrier have been the first person bitten? Could it possibly have been a monkey? I suspect it was a monkey!

Confident, witty, and with a hint of humor – that’s Ellie in a nutshell. Much like many teenagers, she often gives the impression that she grasps the world more deeply than anyone else. However, beneath her self-assured facade, there are instances where her vulnerability is on full display during The Last of Us Season 1.

Ellie consents to assist Marlene and the Fireflies in their struggle against FEDRA’s military regime to reestablish democracy and liberty in post-apocalyptic America. The Fireflies are researching a cure at a basecamp out west, and Ellie’s unique immunity holds the key to developing a vaccine. Marlene discreetly informs her and her assistant, Kim, that within Ellie lies the possible solution to the Cordyceps infection.

Because you [Ellie] have a greater purpose than any of us could have ever imagined.

Marlene needs to transport Ellie westward, but since her team was severely weakened during a firefight with a local smuggler named Robert and his gang, she recruits two skilled smugglers, Joel and Tess, as a desperate measure to deliver Ellie to her associates stationed at the old State House. In return for their assistance, she offers them whatever they require: fully fueled trucks, essential supplies, weapons, and so on.

Ellie’s Life After Meeting Joel In The Last of Us

Ellie lived out her days at a military school run by FEDRA, forced into this situation by Marlene, a decision not of her own making. Her mother, Anna, had handed Ellie over to their old friend Marlene for safekeeping while keeping tabs on her simultaneously. One fateful night, Ellie and her dearest companion, Riley, sneaked out together. This excursion led them to an abandoned mall where a Runner bit Ellie. Tragically, Riley was infected and passed away from the virus. The lingering burden of survivor’s guilt plagues Ellie as one by one, the connections she forms are claimed by the disease.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Ellie maintains a strong spirit. Throughout much of Season 1 of “The Last of Us”, she often engages in light-hearted banter with Joel and Tess, using humor and sarcasm to cope. She even playfully checks into a flooded hotel, requesting luxury accommodations. She declines their food offerings but happily enjoys her own meal, like a chicken sandwich. At this stage of their journey, she discloses to an upset Tess that the Fireflies’ doctors in the west intend to utilize her immunity for vaccine development. However, Joel sees this as more of a dream than a reality.

Initially, it’s Ellie, rather than Joel, who notices that Tess has become infected when she chooses to remain at the State House in a state of panic. Despite the danger, Ellie refuses to abandon Tess and instead stays with her, even as a horde of infected storms the deserted building. Though saddened by Tess’s demise, Ellie remains composed when she discovers that both healthy and sick Fireflies had perished while fighting each other. Resolute, she insists on continuing their journey. Some ten miles west of Boston, Ellie sternly warns Joel not to hold her responsible for anything. Unwavering in her honesty, Ellie is not afraid to confront the truth, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable it makes Joel feel.

It wasn’t anyone who forced you or Tess to come with me. You weren’t compelled to follow this plan. Whatever the situation was, it was your decision to be here. Therefore, please don’t hold me accountable for something that wasn’t within my control.

Ellie’s Arc: Shaped By Loss And Learning

In “The Last of Us,” Ellie has traveled a significant distance, experiencing numerous perilous situations and acquiring valuable survival skills. Through Joel, she learns about the Outbreak Day event, gazes at plane wreckage, and even gets to ride in a car with him. Despite her humor, as shown by quoting “No Pun Intended Volume Too” to Joel, she’s also faced more serious challenges – like taking up a gun and viciously killing David, the leader of cannibalistic survivors, using his cleaver. Toward the end of Season 1, Ellie becomes increasingly quiet, bearing the weight of harrowing events such as losing Tess and Sam, brutalizing David, and other traumatic experiences.

In my perspective as a film critic, I’d rephrase that scene like this: Having forged a profound connection, I, Joel, shield Ellie from the clutches of the Fireflies at St. Mary’s Hospital. I refuse to sacrifice her for a cure and take the drastic measure of eliminating Marlene, the head surgeon, and anyone else who poses a threat. Escaping the hospital with Ellie, I spin an alternate tale, claiming that the Fireflies had abandoned their search for a cure, and the hospital was raided by marauders. As we journey towards Jackson, a somber Ellie shares her past, revealing she was compelled to slay Riley once she turned rogue. She then implores me to swear on our bond that my account of the Fireflies is truthful — and I do so, hoping it will bring some solace to her troubled heart.

In the start of Season 2, a 19-year-old Ellie has adjusted to life in Jackson. She’s developed a more aggressive nature, engaging in fights with individuals much larger than herself, and has grown distant from Joel. Much like any typical teenager, she manages intricate relationships within the settlement, but none are as tense as her relationship with Joel. A overly protective Joel asks Tommy to have Ellie guard the entrance instead of patrolling. Despite fighting off infected alongside Joel’s brother, Tommy, Ellie frequently disregards patrol regulations and feels constrained by Joel’s watchfulness.

Ellie has transitioned from merely accompanying Joel to becoming an independent and valued resident within the community of Jackson.

In simpler terms, you can catch the second season of “The Last of Us” each Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time on HBO. Alternatively, you can stream it on their streaming platform, Max.

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2025-04-21 21:36