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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Last of Us' Review: Episode 7 Makes a Generational Choice — Spoilers
[Editor's note: The following review contains spoilers for 'The Last of Us' Season 2, Episode 7 — the Season 2 finale. For additional coverage, including previous episode reviews, check out IndieWire's 'Last of Us' landing page.] 'Maybe she got what she deserved.' More from IndieWire Why Netflix Moved on from 'CoComelon' - and How It Hopes to Replace It in the Kids Programming Wars 'And Just Like That' Review: Season 3 Tones Down the Madness for a Timid Take on 'Sex and the City' 'Maybe she didn't.' To open 'The Last of Us' Season 2 finale, Dina (Isabela Merced) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) share the above exchange about Nora (Tati Gabrielle), the member of Abby's (Kaitlyn Dever) posse who Ellie chased down, tortured, and left to die at the end of Episode 5. But by the end of Episode 7, viewers may very well be repeating the debate about Ellie, whose ultimate fate makes for an agonizing cliffhanger that won't be resolved until Season 3 premieres (at least). Did Abby shoot Ellie like she shot Jesse (Young Mazino), R.I.P.? Did she wound her? Did she miss? Of course, I'm desperate for Ellie to survive, but 'The Last of Us' already killed off one of its leads this season and, more importantly, it's clear co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who cowrote the Season 2 finale with Halley Gross) want viewers to consider not just what they want to happen, but what these characters have chosen for themselves. Sans sentiment, Ellie's moral report card is grim. She tortured and killed Nora. She shot and killed Owen (Spencer Lord), as well as Mel (Ariela Barer), the latter of whom was pregnant when she died. Sure, Mel's death was an accident, but that's hardly an excuse when Ellie's entire plan is built around murdering people. On the other hand, Ellie's ethical judgement showed signs of improvement in Episode 7; that her experience in Seattle (and lingering memories of Joel) may be steering her away from vengeance and toward mercy. Saying 'maybe she didn't' about Nora deserving to die (and be tortured), as well as telling Dina why Abby was so fixated on finding Joel to begin with, is a good sign for Ellie's level of bloodlust. If she's open to considering other opinions, instead of just finding Abby at all costs, that's progress. (Her revelation also drives a wedge between her and Dina, which speaks to how hard — and how important — it must've been for Ellie to divulge.) Granted, Ellie suffers a setback when she realizes where Abby is hiding. (The only words Nora said to Ellie were 'whale' and 'wheel,' so when she spots them both by Seattle's Aquarium, the dead-end suddenly becomes an open door, and she can't stop herself from walking through.) Long before her interrogation of Abby's crew goes so quickly sideways, it's clear Ellie should've gone with Jesse to help Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Tommy came to Seattle to help her. He cares about her, and she cares about him. He's part of her community, and he's still alive. Joel isn't. And if Ellie's decisions really were dictated by what Joel would want, there's no way he would rather Ellie kill his killer than save his brother. (Back in Episode 3, Tommy even said as much: 'He'd be halfway to Seattle to save my life,' Tommy said, when Ellie tried to argue Joel would go to Seattle to avenge Tommy's death. 'But when we lost people, no. It would just break him, like it was his fault. I saw that time and time again.') But Ellie isn't hearing it. There's too many variables. 'Fuck the community!' Ellie screams. 'You let a kid die today, Jesse. Because why? He wasn't in your community? Let me tell you about my community. My community was beaten to death in front of me while I had to fucking watch.' To be fair, Jesse didn't 'let' anyone die. There was no way they could've saved the Scar who was trapped by W.L.F. soldiers. Ellie and Jesse vs. a literal army? Sorry, but they're taking an 'L' on that one. But the selective responsibility Ellie points out does bring up one of the show's thornier subjects: Where do you draw the line when it comes to helping others when doing so comes at great personal risk to yourself? With the Scar boy from earlier that day, it's a relatively easy choice. But Jesse and Tommy already made a harder choice — to come to Seattle to save Ellie and Dina — and Jesse, as he explains to Ellie, already sacrificed his own romantic happiness to stick in Jackson and help the townsfolk, which includes Ellie. 'I go with that girl to New Mexico,' he says, 'who saves your ass in Seattle?' Despite Ellie and Jesse accusing (and then, later on, supporting) each other, the difference between them is clear. In Jesse's scenario, neither road available to him is actively harmful: If he goes with the woman to New Mexico, maybe he makes her happy, himself happy, and the people of New Mexico happy. Sure, everyone in Jackson would miss him, but they could've found another leader-in-waiting. Still, he chose to stay. Maybe he's less of a romantic, or maybe — as it's implied here — he's less selfish than Ellie. That doesn't mean 'better'; sometimes you need to be selfish. Ellie just took it too far. With Ellie, if she had stayed in Jackson, Dina would have been safe. Ellie would have been safe. The people of Jackson would still have two of their best patrol members, Tommy would still have a de facto niece, and Jesse would have been able to see his baby be born. Going had a single best case scenario: Abby would be dead. One more person on this planet would be gone. And for what? Abby isn't a known threat to anyone now that Joel is gone. Ellie's revenge is for her. It's selfish. It's meant to be healing, but it's only sewing more destruction. Now that destruction is all around her. Nora, Owen, Mel, and Mel's baby are dead. Jesse is dead. Tommy and Dina are wounded, and it's hard to imagine Abby letting them live. Ellie may be gone, too, although — without knowing what happens in the games — I have to imagine her story will continue. Her nature, her soul, is still forming. She hasn't hardened into a monster or softened enough to find mercy. But fate doesn't wait around for you to be ready. Whether she lives or dies, she chose the path that led her here. 'The Last of Us' Season 2 is available on HBO and Max (which is soon to be HBO Max… again). The series has been renewed for Season 3. • Speaking of monsters, a brief word on the book Ellie picks out for Dina's unborn baby: 'The Monster at the End of This Book,' written by Jon Stone with illustrations by Michael Smollin. The children's book, first published in 1971, tells an innovative meta narrative in which Grover (the 'Sesame Street' character) reads the title of the book and gets scared about what sort of monster is waiting for him at the end. From there, most of the book's 'story' is just Grover begging the reader not to continue, so he doesn't have to encounter the monster, but (spoiler alert) the monster at the end of the book is… Grover. For kids, the lesson is clear: The scariest monster is the one you build up in your mind. Expectations and reality don't always match up, and sometimes a monster is just… misunderstood. Take that reading a step further (not unlike comedian Gary Gulman's does in his 2024 stand-up special, 'Grandiliquent'), and the monster at the end of the book is the reader themselves, or more accurately, whatever anxiety, trauma, or scarring event from the reader's past they can't seem to escape — and shapes how they see the world. Gee, I wonder how that would apply to Ellie? • And speaking of presumed leaders who abandon their posts, what the heck is going on with Abby, Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), and the W.L.F.? During 'Seattle Day 3,' she's M.I.A. Isaac sits down with Sgt. Park (Hettienne Park) and complains that Abby and her whole team are missing on 'tonight of all nights.' Later, we get an idea of that night's significance when the W.L.F. sets off a massive explosion at the Seraphites' village. It's unclear who lived and died, what was destroyed, or if anything was accomplished, but it's implied — both by Isaac and by Owen, who doesn't seem to know where Abby is before Ellie walks in on him — that Abby was supposed to be on those attack boats, and she just… wasn't. Isaac tells Sgt. Park he was planning for Abby to take over someday as the W.L.F. leader, so what happened to make her abandon that trajectory? We'll surely find out in Season 3, considering the final scene flashes back to 'Seattle Day 1' to share what's going on from Abby's perspective. But given the emphasis placed in Season 2 on Jesse's planned ascension in Jackson, as well as Ellie stepping into Joel's shoes, there's a growing emphasis on generational transitions in 'The Last of Us.' Jesse's succession would've been relatively smooth, given how much he aligned with the current leadership, Tommy and Maria (Rutina Wesley). But Ellie's attempts to follow in Joel's footsteps are bumpy at best. The longer she tries to play the badass avenger, the more she doubts whether that's who she is (and if that's who Joel wanted to be) . Could the same thing be happening to Abby? Could completing her quest for revenge have rattled her enough to drift from the person she was before? Might 'The Last of Us' actually see hope for a better future in a generation of kids so ill at ease with the actions of their elders that they run in the opposite direction? • For a show that took more than two years between Seasons 1 and 2, it's hard to sit with Mazin & Co.'s chosen endpoint. For one, Season 2 is only seven episodes long, as opposed to Season 1's nine-episode arc. But on top of that, this arc feels incomplete. Ellie's left halfway through a transformative moment. Everything happening between the W.L.F. and the Seraphites feels half-formed, and Abby has barely been fleshed out enough to build anticipation around seeing more of her in Season 3. I enjoyed the time I spent with 'The Last of Us' Season 2 — and I hope you did, too, dear readers — I just wish there was more closure before another long break. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst
UPI
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Famous birthdays for May 27: Andre 3000, Richard Schiff
TV // 1 day ago 'Last of Us' family helped calm the nerves of S2 newbie Kaitlyn Dever NEW YORK, May 25 (UPI) -- Kaitlyn Dever says she has had a long personal history with "The Last of Us" and felt overwhelmed with emotion when she was hired to star in HBO's adaptation of the blockbuster video game.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
All about that 'Last of Us' Season 2 finale: Who died? Who survived?
All about that 'Last of Us' Season 2 finale: Who died? Who survived? Show Caption Hide Caption Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal discuss father-daughter relationship 'The Last of Us' stars Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal reveal they didn't enjoy their character's estrangement in season 2. Spoiler alert! The following contains details from the Season 2 finale of "The Last of Us." Somehow, things have gotten worse for Ellie. The lead of HBO's "The Last of Us," played by Bella Ramsey, has had a rough season on the post-apocalyptic zombie drama. Her surrogate father figure Joel (Pedro Pascal), admitted that he killed dozens of people in her name, and then was shortly killed himself by the daughter of one of his victims, while Ellie looked on. For the rest of Season 2 Ellie has been on a rage- and vengeance-fueled hunt for Joel's killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), which brought her and her best friend/crush/girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced) to the war-torn ruins of Seattle. By the finale episode, which aired May 25, Ellie and Dina's revenge-quest had seemingly lost all hope. Dina has been shot by an arrow in the crossfire of the war between the Washington Liberation Front/Wolves, the militia that Abby is a part of, and the Seraphites, a cult-ish religious group fond of lynching. She's tortured and killed one of Abby's friends and gotten a vague hint about where Abby might be. And her friend Jesse (Young Mazino) and surrogate uncle Tommy (Gabriel Luna) have come to Seattle to her rescue – and to tell her how stupid she's being. But that wasn't the end of her search. Here's everything that went down in the (literally) wet and wild season finale, and what it might mean for the show's upcoming third season. Ellie tells Dina about Joel and the Fireflies Pregnant Dina joined Ellie on her trip to Seattle both because she loves Ellie (as more than just a friend, we recently discovered) and because she loved Joel. But after Ellie tortured and killed Abby's comrade Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Ellie realizes she needs to come clean about her own crime, and Joel's. She tells Dina about all the fireflies Joel killed in Salt Lake City in Season 1. The revelation hardens Dina, who is now ready to go back to their home in Jackson, Wyoming, but is still committed to Ellie. She gives Ellie a bracelet for good luck. Dina stays behind at the theater they've been using for shelter while Ellie and Jesse go in search of Tommy. Ellie abandons her friends so she can seek vengeance − again While Ellie and Jesse are looking for Tommy they hear on Ellie's stolen WLF walkie about a sniper, and Jesse is convinced that it must be Tommy. Jesse wants to go get him immediately, but Ellie has just finally understood what Nora said about Abby's whereabouts: She realizes Abby is hiding out in an aquarium on a dock. She abandons Jesse, cursing what she sees as his holier-than-thou attitude and finds a boat to head for the aquarium amid a violent storm. But of course the teenager who grew up in a walled city in Boston and then a landlocked Wyoming town doesn't know much about sailing, and she is swept ashore a tiny island almost instantly and is captured by the Seraphites, who believe she's a Wolf. As she begs for her life they begin to string up her up in a tree, but an oncoming real attack from the WLF spooks them and they leave her gasping for air on the ground, rope still around her neck. Eventually she makes it to the aquarium, where she hears two of Abby's friends, Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer) arguing about their absent leader. The place is full of bloody gauze and medical-looking instruments, but we can't quite make out what Owen and Mel are saying about Abby. Ellie doesn't care, drawing her gun on them and demanding they tell her where Abby is. Owen tries a quick shot at Ellie but misses, and Ellie fires back hitting both Owen and Mel. Owen falls instantly, but Mel has a few seconds before she bleeds out, and reveals she's pregnant. She begs Ellie to deliver her baby via C-section before she dies, but Ellie, crying and traumatized, doesn't know what to do, and Mel perishes along with her unborn child. Ellie still doesn't find out where Abby is. Soon after Jesse and Tommy show up to rescue Ellie yet again, and all three go back to the theater. What happens in that theater between Abby and Ellie? Back at the theater, Ellie talks with Tommy and Jesse, coming to terms with the fact that she must give up her thirst for vengeance and return home. She also reconciles with Jesse, and the friends have a sweet moment where they realize how much they care about each other. A second later they hear a disturbance from the other room and run out to the theater's lobby. They burst through the door Jesse is shot and killed, and Abby is standing with a gun on Tommy. Ellie begs Abby to spare Tommy's life, taking responsibility for killing Abby's friends. Abby raises her gun as Ellie screams, a shot is fired and then … the screen cuts to black. What does the 'Last of Us' finale mean for Season 3? In the very last scene we see Abby, safe and sound in a compound for the WLF, and the onscreen text tells us we've gone back in time three days, to the first day Ellie and Dina came to Seattle. This is a strong indicator that Season 3 of the series will be all about Abby, which mirrors the narrative structure of the video game. That could mean very little of Ramsey's Ellie in the episodes, and it's almost a guarantee Pascal will not be returning. HBO has yet to set a date for Season 3.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Pedro Pascal proves he's just like us on flight to Cannes Film Festival
Pedro Pascal Stalked me for a day during Cannes Film Festival on a Economy Flight for British Airways The 'Last of Us' we'd expect to see in economy. Pedro Pascal shocked fans when he was spotted flying economy on a commercial flight from London to the Cannes Film Festival in France — proving even A-listers don't always need first-class service. The heartthrob was en route to the world premiere of his latest film, 'Eddington,' when filmmaker The 'Last of Us' we'd expect to see in economy. captured a now-viral video of 'The Mandalorian' star boarding the British Airways flight on May 16 and smiling as he settled into a cramped window seat among surprised coach passengers. 'Pedro Pascal flying economy on a regular London to Nice flight, just casually sitting among everyone else on his way to Cannes!' the director captioned his video, which has since garnered more than 937,000 views on TikTok. 4 Pedro Pascal shocked fans when he took an economy flight from London to the Cannes Film Festival last week. USA Today The satirical video, which humorously suggested that the 'Game of Thrones' alum was stalking Pelizaro to the star-studded event, also showed Pascal, 50, queuing like a regular traveler at the busy terminal. The 'Materialists' star was also seen stowing away his luggage in the overhead bin, chatting with fellow travelers — and later dashing back to the aircraft after realizing he'd forgotten his phone upon landing. 'All jokes aside, the fact that he flew economy makes me love him even more,' one fan commented on X. 4 The humorous video showed Pascal, 50, queuing like a regular traveler at the busy terminal. USA Today 4 'The Last of Us' star dashed back to the aircraft after realizing he'd forgotten his phone. USA Today Another praised Pascal for being 'just like us!' 'More respect to him,' another added. The Emmy-nominated 'Last of Us' star was seen later that day strutting the red carpet at the 78th annual event with his co-stars Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Joaquin Phoenix and director Ari Aster. 4 Pascal set the thirsty internet ablaze the following day when he showed off his guns at the 'Eddington' photo call. / MEGA The group made headlines when the 'Poor Things' actress was unexpectedly attacked by a bee while promoting the film. Stone, 36, attempted to stay calm but grabbed onto Pascal's shoulders and hid behind him until the pollinator made a beeline in another direction. She and the actors were seen laughing over the pest's photobombing moment before proceeding to pose with more composure for the photographers. The following day, Pascal again set the thirsty internet ablaze when he wore a black tunic that showed off his toned arms and torso to the 'Eddington' photo call.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘The Last of Us' star Noah Lamanna explains Kat and Ellie's ‘refreshing' relationship — and who ‘came out on top'
Noah Lamanna may have only made a brief appearance on 'The Last of Us,' but their character, Kat, had a profound influence on Ellie (Bella Ramsey). During Sunday's flashback episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal) catches Ellie and Kat in Ellie's bedroom on her 17th birthday. The pair are doing drugs and Kat, who is 19, has given Ellie a tattoo on her arm, which upsets Joel. 8 Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in 'The Last of Us.' HBO Advertisement Ellie fights with her father figure and their relationship is never the same again. A few years later, Joel is brutally killed by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) before he could make amends with Ellie. In an exclusive interview with The Post, Lamanna explained how Kat and Ellie's relationship impacted how Ellie behaves when Season 2 begins. 8 Noah Lamanna in 'The Last of Us.' HBO Advertisement 'At the top of the season in the first episode, you find our relationship has started and ended,' the actor said. 'And we're in the sort of unfortunate situation of still living together in this very small community and kind of being forced to collaborate in a way that isn't really comfortable. There's a lot of tensions that arise between our characters throughout that process.' 8 Noah Lamanna in their interview with The Post. The New York Post Lamanna noted that in the wake up of Kat and Ellie's breakup, Ellie has 'come out on top' as she gets in a relationship with Dina (Isabel Merced). 'She has this new flirtation with Dina that kind of sucks for me to watch happen,' said Lamanna. 'But you definitely get a taste of the history and of the weight of that in the tension between our characters in the first episode.' Advertisement 8 Bella Ramsey in 'The Last Of Us.' HBO 8 Noah Lamanna talking about 'The Last of Us.' The New York Post Regarding Sunday's flashback episode, Lamanna told The Post it was 'a really fun opportunity' to explore Kat and Ellie's dynamic pre-breakup. 'We see a much lighter version of the two of them together, and you get a glimpse into a history that is less weighted down,' they explained. Advertisement 'We see these characters who are still sort of living through this what is a zombie apocalypse and we get these sort of gifts throughout the season of these moments of levity. It's really beautiful to see and I think for audiences it's very refreshing when there's a lot of really intense stuff happening in the rest of the season.' 8 Noah Lamanna at the 'Last of Us' Season 2 premiere. FilmMagic for HBO Lamanna also teased that there could be more story to tell between Kat and Ellie. 'We get some glimpses into their dynamic, but it certainly leaves you with a lot of questions about, what happened, how we ended up where we are,' they stated. 'There's a lot of storyline left untold in between for sure.' 8 Bella Ramsey in 'The Last of Us.' HBO Additionally, the Canadian actor gushed over getting to work with both Ramsey, 21, and Pascal, 50. 'He's lovely. He's very charming,' they said of Pascal. 'He's everything you want him to be, which is really nice.' 8 Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal in 'The Last of Us.' HBO Advertisement 'And Bella's really cool. They are so lovely in person and so down to Earth,' Lamanna continued. 'For someone who's been hit with a massive level of fame at such a young age, Bella seems to handle it really, really well.' 'They're really mature beyond their years, for sure,' they said. 'So it was really cool to spend time with them and kind of connect on a more personal level.' 'The Last of Us' airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
