Warning: spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 1 episode 9.
Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) have developed a strong father-daughter connection throughout The Last of Us TV series, all the way until episode 9.
When confronted with the potential of saying goodbye to Ellie for the last time, it should come as no surprise that Joel would do all in his power to preserve her life.
In the most recent episode of the video game adaption, Joel devastated the Firefly facility, including murdering Marlene (Merle Dandrige), who made her debut in the show’s cast in the very first episode.
Even if leaving Ellie to die may result in the development of a vaccine, Joel is unwilling to take that risk for the one person he now loves about the most in the world.
The Last of Us episode 9 finale ending explained
The ninth episode of The Last of Us shows Joel and Ellie successfully make it to the Firefly facility, much as in the computer game.
After colliding with a friendly giraffe, the duo is caught by Firefly fighters and separated.
Joel is jolted awake by Firefly commander Marlene, who informs him that the operation to exploit Ellie’s immunity to Cordyceps to build a cure will kill her.
When Cordyceps develops in the brain and the medical team wishes to extract it from Ellie, there is no other option than to kill her.
Joel demands to see her after this realisation, but is taken out of the building.
However, of course, Joel is never one to give up when a loved one’s life is at stake, and despite being unarmed, he easily defeats the two guys aiming their weapons at him.
Joel, now armed and on a tunnel vision quest, rampages through the hospital, murdering every Firefly in his path, until he reaches Ellie, who is comatose and surrounded by the surgical team.
He shoots the doctor in charge before dragging Ellie down to a getaway vehicle in his arms.
Marlene approaches Joel in the parking lot and attempts to persuade him once more to hand away Ellie.
Joel shoots Marlene once in the stomach and then kills her with a shot to the head before fleeing with Ellie.
When Ellie begins to awaken in the car, Joel tells her a fictional narrative about how she isn’t the only one who is resistant to Cordyceps, that there are dozens more at the Firefly base who are also immune, and that the medical team has been unable to discover a cure.
He then says that he drove away with her still in her hospital gown because the building was besieged by raiders, and that they are returning to Wyoming to live with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his community.
Joel promises Ellie that he is telling the truth… When, in reality, he made massive lies because he couldn’t bear life without her, even though he practically swapped her life for millions of others.
As the couple opens up about their life, with Joel talking about his late daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) and Ellie remembers being bitten at the mall with her closest friend Riley (Storm Reid), we’ll have to wait and see if Joel’s falsehoods are uncovered in season two.
The Last of Us is available to watch on Sky and NOW.
Source My Celebrity Life.