This half contains spoilers for the finale of HBO’s The Closing of Us and the critical The Closing of Us game. Within the occasion you don’t like any longer caught up on the sequence yet investigate cross-test our spoiler-free season evaluate now.
It’s all been leading to this. Over an impactful first season we now like adopted Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) thru the publish-apocalyptic wastelands of Cordyceps contaminated The US within the hopes of discovering the Fireflies and their doable medication. Avid gamers were seemingly absolutely aware of what became once to near within the heartbreaking finale, on the opposite hand it became once a violent chase that shifts our expectations of heroes and the sacrifices they’re appealing to own for these unfamiliar with the provision fabric. Within the wake of the elegant closing episode, we’re right here to interrupt down the ending and destroy down the burning questions we like now headed into the next season — with as few game spoilers as imaginable, of path!
The Closing of Us Finale Ending Explained
HBO
After making their diagram to Salt Lake Metropolis, Joel is feeling elegant fair correct. He’s committed to his contemporary lifestyles with Ellie and even means that they gorgeous head again to Jackson and quit on their quest. We fetch some iconic moments from the sport, in conjunction with the alarm-racy scene when Ellie discovers a giraffe and Joel helps her feed it. However nothing gentle can closing within the apocalypse and things are soon became on their heads. After being waylaid by the Fireflies, Joel awakens within the ability. Marlene (Merle Dandridge) explains that Ellie’s already being prepped for surgical intention.
In a ramification on what we learn within the sport the place Marlene’s reasoning at the again of Ellie’s immunity is vaguely instructed to be “a mutation” right here Marlene explains to Joel that the scientists imagine that Ellie has been immune since birth, due to the Cordyceps “rising alongside with her.” That’s led to the Cordyceps in her physique really sending out a message to others saying she is Cordyceps. The coolest news? The doctor thinks that they’re going to own a medication from that. The irascible news? The operation will execute Ellie — and it appears the lady wasn’t introduced as much as stride on the entire dying element earlier than being place under.
As anticipated, Joel takes the news rather poorly. He plays possum gorgeous prolonged adequate to fetch the tumble on the Fireflies, and then shoots his diagram thru the clinic to fetch to Ellie earlier than within the waste going thru off with Marlene within the parking garage. Apt worship within the sport this represents the central correct conflict of the story: Is it value sacrificing one lifestyles to potentially keep hundreds and hundreds? To Joel the respond is clearly no. However, seeing as he gorgeous slaughtered a bunch of Fireflies and probably the fully man able to own a medication, this is no longer a possibility that’ll be with out ramifications. It also raises huge questions about agency. The Fireflies didn’t give Ellie a vary whether or no longer to sacrifice herself or no longer, even though the show has led us to imagine she may additionally like taken it. However while Joel saves her, he also lies to her about what occurred, once more ignoring Ellie’s exact to own the probability for herself.
As we perceive to Season 2, it’s clear that Joel’s selection right here is known as a necessary offer of conflict. Though he took out your entire witnesses it makes sense that diversified Fireflies will sooner or later head to the clinic and stare what he did. Pitting Joel and Ellie in opposition to the neighborhood would own heaps of sense and Joel would just like the added stress of attending to lift the fact from Ellie while holding her. Whatever occurs, right here is a vary that can dangle-out the pair going forward.
Used to be Ellie’s Mother Being Bitten What Gave Her Immunity?
HBO
In its closing episode, Season 1 of The Closing of Us introduced again a fan fave franchise actor and confirmed a huge fan belief. Ashley Johnson — who played Ellie within the distinctive video games — appears as Ellie’s mom, Anna. The episode opens with Anna heavily pregnant, running thru the woods. She prepares to give birth in an abandoned home, but gorgeous seconds earlier than the minute one is born she’s attacked. Killing the contaminated, Anna realizes she’s been bitten gorgeous as Ellie arrives.
For years followers like speculated that Anna became once bitten earlier than Ellie became once born, allowing Ellie to really be inoculated in opposition to the virus, and the show appears to substantiate that right here. While Anna tells Marlene that she decrease the cord earlier than she became once bitten, everyone is aware of the fact. This huge 2nd also confirms that Marlene has continuously had cause to suspect Ellie had some roughly immunity, as she became once the one who chanced on Anna in her closing moments and took her child. And, as we get out this episode, it will repay because per the Fireflies, Marlene became once exact.
Why Did Joel Abolish the Fireflies? Used to be He Justified?
HBO
For the explanation that game became once first released in 2013, this correct inquire has been at the center of The Closing of Us’ most elegant twist. Apt worship within the closing episode of the sequence, the sport ends by sending Joel — and the player — on a murderous rampage thru the Firefly lab after discovering that to own the medication the scientists will have to execute Ellie. While within the sport Joel’s brutality is never a surprise, his possibility to keep Ellie at the expense of a possible medication is classy. Because the player we now like killed hundreds of of us by the time we reach the clinic but they’ve all been “threats” within the formulation of his mission to fetch Ellie to the Fireflies and ostensibly keep the sector. That makes the closing chapter of the sport and your complicity as a player a really elegant twist. Gamers notion they were on a hero’s trudge but ended up murdering the very of us they were speculated to be helping and selecting one lifestyles over the lives of hundreds and hundreds.
Within the show, even though, it feels much less worship a horrifying selection and additional worship a elegant successfully seeded and organic possibility for Joel to own. Joel’s esteem for Ellie shines thru this episode and we now like considered the lengths that he’ll paddle to offer protection to her. So when Marlene reveals up and finds Ellie is ready to be killed with nothing lower than a belief to again it up, Joel’s selection feels rather much less villainous. There’s no proven science to again up their thought, they didn’t give Ellie a vary within the matter, and there became once no dialog or possibility given to the pair. As a change, that selection became once taken from them. Clearly, everyone is aware of from what Ellie mentioned earlier within the finale she would seemingly like chosen to be operated on. However Ellie’s agency right here wasn’t respected at any point by Joel or the Fireflies. Which leads us to the next immense inquire that this episode leaves us with.
Will Joel Notify Ellie the Fact?
HBO
Joel is given the probability to roar Ellie the fact when the (sharper than he thinks) younger lady asks him to sing that the model of events he told her became once correct. He doubles down on the lie within the 2nd, but whether or no longer or no longer he tells her as she grows older is the immense inquire. It will, of path, deeply commerce their relationship and point to the brutality Joel has tried to lift hidden from Ellie through the season, but the proven fact that they’re heading again to Jackson makes the fact popping out feel extra seemingly. Maria (Rutina Wesley) tells Ellie she must watch out trusting Joel earlier within the season, so it can own sense that if Ellie suspects one thing is up she may additionally stop up confiding in her later within the sequence. That would introduce a inviting and surprising contemporary alliance between Ellie and Maria and motive a chasm between Ellie and Joel.
If the fact of what Joel did became once to near out it can obviously motive huge complications between Joel and Ellie, especially as he murdered the one diversified grownup who had ever been there for her: Marlene. Is there a world the place Ellie grows to gain what Joel did? Seemingly, it’s miles a bleak violent existence regardless of every thing, but she’ll fully get a diagram to enact that if he tells her the fact. In roar Season 2 looms, a conflict between the show’s surrogate father and daughter appears ever extra seemingly.
What Occurs to the Fireflies Now?
HBO
Marlene tells Joel that the Fireflies lost half of of their quantity relocating through the nation. And then Joel murders every Firefly within the clinic (in conjunction with their aforementioned chief). So the place does that leave the neighborhood? We know that there are pockets of the unusual group through the nation, on the opposite hand it does appear worship this became once one of their closing correct bases. With Joel it sounds as if killing all witnesses, it’s unclear if the fact of his crimes will near out. This may additionally lift him and Ellie stable for a while, on the opposite hand it appears seemingly that the final Fireflies will get out and near for the pair.
How Will The Closing of Us Season 2 Deal With the Sport’s Time Jump?
HBO
Within the occasion you worship to like solutions about what occurs subsequent, your fully bet is to play The Closing of Us Portion II. We may no longer be getting in any of the events of the sport right here on memoir of how closely the critical season caught to the distinctive. However right here is the one immense non-spoiler inquire we are able to inquire. The sequel is decided seven years after the tip of the critical game. And while in precise lifestyles Bella Ramsey is closer to the age of Ellie in Portion II, Pedro Pascal is already taking half in an attractive few years older as Joel. With the exception of these logical questions, there may be also the proven fact that Season 2 may potentially be veteran to accept as true with within the years between the video games, given that Portion 2 will seemingly purchase extra than one season to cease. However, we may bet on that huge time jump and each other near-recount adaptation of 1 of the most neatly-preferred video video games of all time.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN overlaying every thing from anime to comedian books to kaiju to youngsters movies to trouble flicks. She has over half of a decade of skills in leisure journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and additional.
