Latest news with #cliffhanger
Geek Tyrant
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THE LAST OF US Season 2 Showrunners Explain Bold Cliffhanger Ending: "We Have to Take Risks" — GeekTyrant
The Last of Us Season 2 showrunner Craig Mazin recently opened up about the team's decision to end the season on a controversial cliffhanger, explaining that while they considered other routes, the final choice came down to staying true to the DNA of the story. Mazin said during a press conference attended by GamesRadar+: 'We were open to a different ending. We talked about it a lot. We considered everything. You know, of course, you want to plan. Maybe we should just interlace the stories. 'Maybe we should just go back and forth. Maybe we should try this, maybe try that, and then in the end, I just remember saying, 'Isn't this part of the genetics of how this story functions? It's just part of the genetics.'' Warning: spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2 finale. Unlike the game, which lets the brutal confrontation between Ellie and Abby play out, the show cuts the scene short, right after Abby shoots Ellie. That's where it ends. The next moment, we see Abby waking up in the WLF compound on Seattle: Day One. For fans of The Last of Us Part 2 , this signals that season 3 will shift focus to Abby, showing her side of the story as Ellie and Dina rampaged through Seattle. But for those new to the world, the cut leaves a chilling implication… did Ellie just die? According to Mazin, that ambiguity was a calculated decision and gamble. 'Now, what it means is we have to take risks as a television show, and HBO [has] to back us taking risks. But then again, we just did kill Pedro Pascal—they understand that this show is going to be a different show every season, which is a sort of a tricky thing to do when you're a hit show. 'You keep asking people like, 'I know you love this, we're taking it away and giving you this now,' and then, 'Oh, well, you know what? We actually really like this. Oh, that's nice.' Now we're giving you this, because that's how the story works, right?' Love it or hate it, The Last of Us isn't playing it safe. This isn't a comfort show, it's a pressure cooker of emotional storytelling, and Season 2's ending is a reminder that the creators are fully leaning into the riskier side of adaptation. With season 3 already primed to dive deeper into Abby's arc, the show continues to echo the structure and emotional tension of the games, just not always in ways fans expect. So… how did you feel about that ending? Bold move or too much bait-and-switch?
Gizmodo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘The Last of Us' Showrunners Talk That Shocking Cliffhanger and Season 3 Teases
The wait between seasons one and two of The Last of Us was brutal, but at least that story had ended. We wanted to see what was next for Joel and Ellie, but it wasn't absolutely necessary. That's not the case for season two, though, which ends right smack in the middle of the story, with a cliffhanger that's sure to frustrate many viewers. It's all but assured that the wait for season three will be worse. In the meantime, you are probably wondering a few things about not just the end of season two, but what's to come in season three. And, thankfully, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were happy to talk about that. Below, we'll tell you what The Last of Us team had to say about the season two cliffhanger, whether that was always the ending, how things might be changing for season three, and some of the questions you should be asking as you wait. Season two of The Last of Us ends in the middle of a key moment between Ellie and Abby before flashing back a few days to Abby. The implication, much as it is in the video game, is that we are about to see Abby's story moving ahead, and that's absolutely the plan. 'We often talk about what are we promising the audience going forward?' Druckmann said in a press conference. 'So, for example, it was important for Craig in episode five that we show Joel in that last scene, because then there's a promise of where we're going to next. And had we ended the season somewhere else, maybe like a few moments before, I think that we wouldn't be making the right promise of what this is about. And we're telling you next season, well, one is that there's just an epic nature to what's about to happen. But this other story is going to be really important coming back to Joel and Ellie and everything that you've seen so far.' In the game, though, the audience has a natural pain and discomfort when the point of view shifts from Ellie, a character you have been playing as, to then playing as her sworn enemy, Abby. Mazin admits it's one place a show comes up short compared to the video game but they hope they did as good a job as possible to duplicate it. 'We can't… reproduce the shock of becoming another person,' he said. 'In games, you are Joel. You are Ellie. You are Abby. And when that shift happens, it is jarring because you have been someone. But here we are watching everybody equally on a screen. We may identify with them from time to time in different ways, and we may be conflicted, but we're not them. So when we go to a scene where we're somebody else, there's the normal thing of, 'Whoa, I'm suddenly with Jeffrey Wright in a weird, creepy kitchen. And I'm watching him torture somebody.' That's a little jarring, but it's never going to be what a video game can do when you shift perspective in a massive way like that. So I think what we do, and what we're doing correctly, is honoring the notion that there is a time period where one person experiences it one way, and another person is experiencing it so wildly different, and yet they converge. It's a convergent storm… And that's what matters. But can we reproduce that gut-punch feeling? No. And I think if we had chased it, we probably would have fallen on our faces.' So if the show couldn't match that moment in the same way, was there ever a discussion of changing things? Maybe ending it differently? There was, but not for long. 'Honestly, we were open to a different ending,' Mazin admitted. 'We talked about it a lot. We considered everything. Of course, you want to play around. Like maybe we should just interlace the stories. Maybe we should just go back and forth. Maybe we should try this. Maybe we should try that. And then in the end, I just remember saying, 'Isn't this part of the genetics of how this story functions?' It's just part of the genetics. Now, what it means is we have to take risks as a television show and HBO has to back us taking risks. But then again, we did just kill Pedro Pascal. They understand that this show is going to be a different show every season, which is sort of a tricky thing to do when you're a hit show. You keep asking people like, 'I know you love this. We're taking it away and giving you this now.' And then hopefully they go, 'Oh, well, you know what? We actually really like this.' 'Oh, that's nice. Now we're giving you this now' because that's how the story works.' And so, in season three, the point of view will certainly shift to Abby. But, does that mean Bella Ramsey's Ellie won't be in season three? 'I remember when people were asking about season two, they were like, 'And what about Joel and when he dies?' I'm like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean 'When?' 'If!'' Mazin says. 'The [third] season will arrive, and it will do what it does. Even if I thought I knew now exactly how it was going to go. I'm experienced enough to know that two weeks from now, we may have a different idea of how it should go. All I can say is we haven't seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever, we haven't seen the last of Bella Ramsey, we haven't seen the last of Isabela Merced, and we haven't even seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story.' Druckmann added, 'Whether you will see them on screen or not, their presence will be there throughout.' Finally, season two may have focused on Ellie's story, and season three might focus on Abby's, but so much else is happening too. There's Isaac and the WLF. The Serephites. Their war. And Mazin wants fans to be aware of all of that. 'I think [all those other stories] bode well for next season,' he said. 'I have so many questions and I think and I understand that the audience does too. I sort of want to assure them that those questions are correct and will be answered. 'What is going on? How did that war start? How did the Seraphites start? Who is the prophet? What happened to her? What does Isaac want? What's happening at the end of episode seven? What is this explosion? What is all of it?' All of it will become clear.' When specifically? We don't know. In 2027 perhaps? Either way, the wait has begun. Watch all seven episodes of The Last of Us season two on HBO Max now.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Last of Us 'Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby?
The Last of Us season 2 finale aired on May 25 Season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger involving Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) The Last of Us was renewed for a season 3 in April 2025After seven episodes of twists and turns, The Last of Us season 2 may have just ended with its most jaw-dropping cliffhanger of all. The second installment of HBO's hit post-apocalyptic series wrapped up with a shocking finale on May 25. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had previously warned audiences that the events of The Last of Us: Part II would span more than one season, with the show getting renewed for a third iteration in April. Season 2 ended with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally coming face-to-face with Joel's (Pedro Pascal) killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). This was after a long and harrowing search for her in Seattle alongside Dina (Isabela Merced), and eventually, Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna) and Jesse (Young Mazino), who came to their rescue. Ultimately, Ellie's desperate quest to avenge Joel led to another shocking death and no clear resolution heading into season 3. Here's everything to know about the ending of The Last of Us season 2, including who dies in the finale's final minutes. Warning: season 2 spoilers ahead! The Last of Us season 2 finale unfolded over the course of 50 minutes, opening with Jesse trying to save Dina's life after she'd been shot in the leg with a Seraphite arrow. With Dina patched up and on the mend, Ellie and Jesse set out to meet up with Tommy — but something is nagging at Jesse, who presses Ellie to spill the news that Dina is pregnant. The pair arrives at the rendezvous point, only to discover that Tommy isn't there. While waiting for him to return, they hear commotion on the radio about a sniper — who they assume is Tommy — and head out to find him. After hearing chatter on the radio about the Seattle aquarium, Ellie realizes that Nora (Tati Gabrielle) hinted that Abby was hiding out there. With Jesse wanting to find Tommy, and Ellie hellbent on hunting down Abby, the two go their separate ways. Ellie finds a small fishing boat to take her across the water to the aquarium. However, her plan is derailed when she gets tossed off her boat by a storm surge and washes up on a shore guarded by Seraphites. Members of the religious cult nearly kill her — but are derailed by the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F.)'s siege on their village. Ellie escapes on her boat. When Ellie finally reaches the aquarium, she finds Abby's friends, Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord). Ellie demands to know where Abby is, then kills Owen when he pulls a gun on her. Mel, who is pregnant, gets hurt in the crossfire and asks Ellie to save her baby. Ellie can't perform a C-section in time, and that's when Tommy and Jesse arrive. The trio returns to the theater, where Dina is hiding out. Ellie, traumatized from the events of that night, agrees to call off her revenge quest and return to Jackson with the group. While Tommy packs the gear, Jesse and Ellie have a heart-to-heart conversation before they hear the muffled sounds of Tommy being attacked. They run to his rescue, and Abby shoots Jesse in the head before he can defend himself. Ellie quickly hides and pleads for Abby to let Tommy go. After tossing her gun, Ellie admits to killing Mel and Owen. "I let you live and you wasted it," Abby says, before pointing her gun at Ellie and firing. The screen cuts to black — then fades into Abby waking up days prior. It's revealed that she's in a football arena that has been converted into W.L.F. barracks. After a season of ups and downs, ending on this particular cliffhanger felt "natural," Druckmann said in a finale press conference. "We entertain everything, but no [other endings are] coming to mind, because whatever we entertained didn't stick for very long," he said. "This always felt like the natural end point for the season." It's unclear if Abby or Ellie dies in The Last of Us season 2 finale. In the final seconds of the episode, Abby raises her gun to shoot Ellie, but then the screen cuts to black. Only the sound of a gun firing can be heard. Viewers are left to wonder if Abby kills Ellie — or if Dina, who isn't present in the final scene, comes to Ellie and Tommy's rescue and kills Abby. In the season 2 finale, Ellie tells Dina the truth about what happened to her and Joel in Salt Lake City. She explains that Joel killed the Fireflies after he learned of their plan to operate on Ellie to find a cure — a surgery that she wouldn't have survived. Ellie goes on to reveal that Abby's father was the surgeon who Joel shot in the head. Dina is betrayed by the news and demands to return home to Jackson. Moments later, Dina gives Ellie a bracelet for good luck before she and Jesse leave to find Tommy. This gesture seems to suggest that she still has hope for her relationship with Ellie. Abby shoots Jesse in the head at the end of season 2. He's the only character viewers know for certain is dead before the episode cuts to black. Tommy is injured but still alive at the end of season 2. Jesse dies this way in the game — and according to Druckmann, his "fate was always sealed." But now, Dina and Ellie's relationship will become a whole lot more complicated. "Jesse dies in part because of Ellie — but Ellie doesn't pull the trigger, Abby does," Mazin added. "[Dina] has gone in pursuit of Abby, out of a sense of justice. So now the question is: Who does she blame?" HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season in April 2025 — just days before season 2 premiered, per Variety. In May 2025, Catherine O'Hara — who plays therapist Gail Lynden in the series — told Variety that the season 3 plot will largely follow "the Abby story" as she navigates life in the W.L.F. The third installment does not yet have a premiere date. Read the original article on People
CNN
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
'The Last of Us' Season 2: What happened in the nail-biter finale
'The Last of Us' concluded its emotional second season with a major cliffhanger. In Sunday's action-packed Season 2 finale, a deadly reunion between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) culminated in Seattle and resulted in the shocking death of Jesse (Young Mazino) during a confrontation inside the theater. Here's how it played out: After a tense exchange with Jesse, he and Ellie split up. Ellie went to find a boat to get herself to the aquarium, where she believed Abby was hiding. Jesse, meanwhile, trucked on to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna), which was their original mission. Ellie eventually made it to the aquarium – after a stressful close encounter with some Seraphites – and found Abby's friends Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), both of whom were there when Abby killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) earlier this season. When they refused to tell Ellie where Abby was, Ellie shot Owen through the neck, grazing Mel in the process. What she hadn't known until Mel was injured was that Mel was pregnant. With her last breaths, Mel begged Ellie to cut out her baby, but, clearly affected by the reality of Dina's (Isabela Merced) ongoing pregnancy, Ellie could not do it. Jesse and Tommy eventually found Ellie crying over Mel's body. Back at the theater, Ellie, Tommy and Jesse were plotting their route home and Tommy tried to comfort Ellie about killing Mel and Owen to no avail. Ellie was upset that Abby got to live. Moments after Tommy left the theater to start packing, Ellie and Jesse heard a commotion in the lobby. As they burst through the doors, Jesse got shot square in the face and Ellie hid behind a bar. Abby stood over Tommy, holding him at gunpoint, when Ellie revealed herself and asked Abby to 'let him go.' Ellie told Abby that she was the one who killed her friends because 'I was looking for you… I didn't mean to hurt them.' 'I let you live and you wasted it,' Abby said to Ellie. The screen went black as Abby raised her gun up to Ellie and a gunshot rang out, the victim – or whether there is one at all – left unknown. In the next scene, Abby is woken up by Manny, the timeline of when this interaction is taking place unclear. The episode ends with Abby walking out onto a balcony that overlooks a stadium in Seattle that appears to show a flourishing farm base. 'Seattle day one,' text across the screen read just before the end credits rolled. Executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann spoke at press conference with several media outlets, who were provided a screener of the finale, ahead of the episode's airing. They teased that in Season 3, like the video game on which the show is based, Abby's perspective will be bolstered and make viewers question if she really is a villain. They also said that moving forward, the central relationship in the show will naturally shift from Joel and Ellie to Dina and Ellie, which could mean the finale confrontation has a less grim conclusion than what some might fear. Or they're toying with us all. Time will tell. Here's what else happened in the finale: Ellie told Dina about what happened at the hospital last season so that Dina could understand why Abby came after Joel in the first place. Ellie admitted to Dina that she knew what Joel did to Abby's dad and then apologized for it. The revelation prompted an emotional shift in Dina, who said she wanted to go home and Ellie agreed. Before he died, Jesse figured out that Dina is pregnant because Dina refused to drink the whiskey he offered her to numb the pain when he fixed her wounded leg. When he revealed his suspicion to Ellie later on, she confirmed his hunch was correct. Jesse revealed to Ellie that he voted against her coming to Seattle, saying he voted that way because 'it wasn't in the best interest of the community.' He said he felt she was being selfish in her pursuit to avenge Joel. Back at the Wolves base, Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) was busy planning a major military operation with Elise (Hettienne Park) but wondered where Abby was. Elise told Isaac that Abby, Owen and Mel were missing but was annoyed he was worried about one person's absence when they had a whole army preparing for battle. Isaac revealed that he had chosen Abby to lead the Wolves after that night's operation in case he and Elise were killed. When Ellie's boat got overcome by a wave on her way to the aquarium, she washed ashore an island inhabited by Seraphites, who found her and assumed she was a Wolf. She was nearly killed until they let her go after the island came under siege, presumably by Isaac and the Wolves.
CNN
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
'The Last of Us' Season 2: What happened in the nail-biter finale
'The Last of Us' concluded its emotional second season with a major cliffhanger. In Sunday's action-packed Season 2 finale, a deadly reunion between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) culminated in Seattle and resulted in the shocking death of Jesse (Young Mazino) during a confrontation inside the theater. Here's how it played out: After a tense exchange with Jesse, he and Ellie split up. Ellie went to find a boat to get herself to the aquarium, where she believed Abby was hiding. Jesse, meanwhile, trucked on to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna), which was their original mission. Ellie eventually made it to the aquarium – after a stressful close encounter with some Seraphites – and found Abby's friends Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), both of whom were there when Abby killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) earlier this season. When they refused to tell Ellie where Abby was, Ellie shot Owen through the neck, grazing Mel in the process. What she hadn't known until Mel was injured was that Mel was pregnant. With her last breaths, Mel begged Ellie to cut out her baby, but, clearly affected by the reality of Dina's (Isabela Merced) ongoing pregnancy, Ellie could not do it. Jesse and Tommy eventually found Ellie crying over Mel's body. Back at the theater, Ellie, Tommy and Jesse were plotting their route home and Tommy tried to comfort Ellie about killing Mel and Owen to no avail. Ellie was upset that Abby got to live. Moments after Tommy left the theater to start packing, Ellie and Jesse heard a commotion in the lobby. As they burst through the doors, Jesse got shot square in the face and Ellie hid behind a bar. Abby stood over Tommy, holding him at gunpoint, when Ellie revealed herself and asked Abby to 'let him go.' Ellie told Abby that she was the one who killed her friends because 'I was looking for you… I didn't mean to hurt them.' 'I let you live and you wasted it,' Abby said to Ellie. The screen went black as Abby raised her gun up to Ellie and a gunshot rang out, the victim – or whether there is one at all – left unknown. In the next scene, Abby is woken up by Manny, the timeline of when this interaction is taking place unclear. The episode ends with Abby walking out onto a balcony that overlooks a stadium in Seattle that appears to show a flourishing farm base. 'Seattle day one,' text across the screen read just before the end credits rolled. Executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann spoke at press conference with several media outlets, who were provided a screener of the finale, ahead of the episode's airing. They teased that in Season 3, like the video game on which the show is based, Abby's perspective will be bolstered and make viewers question if she really is a villain. They also said that moving forward, the central relationship in the show will naturally shift from Joel and Ellie to Dina and Ellie, which could mean the finale confrontation has a less grim conclusion than what some might fear. Or they're toying with us all. Time will tell. Here's what else happened in the finale: Ellie told Dina about what happened at the hospital last season so that Dina could understand why Abby came after Joel in the first place. Ellie admitted to Dina that she knew what Joel did to Abby's dad and then apologized for it. The revelation prompted an emotional shift in Dina, who said she wanted to go home and Ellie agreed. Before he died, Jesse figured out that Dina is pregnant because Dina refused to drink the whiskey he offered her to numb the pain when he fixed her wounded leg. When he revealed his suspicion to Ellie later on, she confirmed his hunch was correct. Jesse revealed to Ellie that he voted against her coming to Seattle, saying he voted that way because 'it wasn't in the best interest of the community.' He said he felt she was being selfish in her pursuit to avenge Joel. Back at the Wolves base, Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) was busy planning a major military operation with Elise (Hettienne Park) but wondered where Abby was. Elise told Isaac that Abby, Owen and Mel were missing but was annoyed he was worried about one person's absence when they had a whole army preparing for battle. Isaac revealed that he had chosen Abby to lead the Wolves after that night's operation in case he and Elise were killed. When Ellie's boat got overcome by a wave on her way to the aquarium, she washed ashore an island inhabited by Seraphites, who found her and assumed she was a Wolf. She was nearly killed until they let her go after the island came under siege, presumably by Isaac and the Wolves.
