Birth and Blood
It begins with a cry.
A woman named Anna sprints through the woods, panting, pregnant, and hunted. She bursts into a farmhouse, barricades the door, and just barely fends off an infected. But she’s bitten. And she gives birth. At the same time.
That baby? Ellie.
Anna cuts the cord. She lies. Tells Marlene the bite happened after Ellie was born. We all know it’s not true.
So begins a final chapter soaked in origin and sacrifice.
Joel and Ellie, One Last Stretch
Cut to present day. Salt Lake City’s in sight. Joel’s healed. Mostly.
But Ellie’s quiet. Distant. She’s not the kid who joked about puns anymore. Something in her changed. Maybe it was David. Maybe it’s everything.
Joel, for once, opens up. He talks about trying to take his own life after Sarah died. Ellie listens. Their roles are flipped. Now he’s the one filling silence.
Still, they push forward.
A Giraffe and a Gut Punch
Then comes the giraffe.
Yes, an actual giraffe. Just there. Alive. Majestic.
Ellie laughs. It’s the first real smile in a while. The scene glows. It’s short. But perfect.
They climb higher, look over the city. Joel suggests turning back. “We don’t have to do this,” he says. “We can just go home.”
But Ellie won’t stop. “It can’t all be for nothing.”
So they keep going.
The Fireflies Find Them
Just as they reach the hospital, soldiers ambush them. Joel wakes in a sterile room. Marlene’s there.
She explains the plan. Ellie’s immunity is in her brain. Surgery might create a cure. But Ellie won’t survive.
Joel’s told to leave.
Yeah. That’s not happening.
Joel Goes Full Joel
He snaps. Quiet at first. Then loud. Then deadly.
Joel kills his way through the hospital. Room by room. Soldier after soldier. Cold. Focused. No hesitation.
He reaches the operating room. The surgeon stands in front of Ellie.
One shot. That’s all.
Joel grabs Ellie, unconscious, and carries her out.
Marlene blocks the exit. Begs him to think. “You can still do the right thing,” she pleads.
He shoots her too.
The Lie
Ellie wakes in the backseat. Groggy. Confused.
Joel lies.
He tells her the Fireflies found others like her. No cure. They let them go. Raiders attacked. He barely got her out.
It’s smooth. But she looks unsure.
They reach Jackson. Nearly there.
She stops him.
“Swear to me. Swear that what you said about the Fireflies is true.”
He looks her dead in the eyes.
“I swear.”
She nods. “Okay.”
And that’s it.
What We’re Left With
The finale doesn’t roar—it stings. Slowly. Quietly.
Here’s what lingers:
- Joel chose love over the world. Some call it selfish. Others call it survival.
- Ellie suspects the truth. But she accepts it. Or she tries to.
- No real heroes here. Just people with pain, choices, and consequences.
- Full circle. The show opened with a loss. It ends with a secret.
One season down. One massive choice made. And that final “Okay”? It echoes.
Louder than any explosion ever could.
