Analyzing the Shocking Conclusion of The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5

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Warning: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Last of Us Season 2.

Following Joel’s () death at the hands of () in the second episode of , Ellie () has been single-mindedly focused on avenging him. However, her progress in this pursuit has been slow in recent episodes.

Ellie and Dina’s (Isabela Merced) journey to Seattle, their need to navigate the city while evading the and , and their efforts to locate Abby’s group naturally required time. Ellie’s positive reaction in Episode 4 to Dina’s pregnancy—a change from her open negativity in The Last of Us Part II video game—may have struck some viewers as incongruously cheerful given the circumstances.

Episode 5 sees the return of Ellie’s vengeful side. After an opening sequence explaining spores—airborne particles released by infected individuals in their final stage that can infect those who inhale them—the episode culminates in Ellie tracking down Nora (Tati Gabrielle), a member of Abby’s crew.

The sequence mirrors the game closely. Ellie finds Nora at Lakehill Hospital and confronts her. Nora taunts Joel, then escapes into the spore-filled basement. As established earlier, the spores sealed Nora’s fate. Ellie, protected by her immunity, follows Nora to demand Abby’s location. Nora realizes Ellie is the immune girl Joel saved by killing the Fireflies, including Abby’s father.

Despite her earlier reservations about Joel’s actions, Ellie declares she no longer cares about what he did. When Nora refuses to reveal Abby’s whereabouts, Ellie brutally attacks her with a metal pipe. After several blows, the episode cuts to a flashback: Joel happily waking Ellie in her Jackson room, a glimpse into Ellie’s chosen memory of Joel.

As in the show, the game scene with Nora also concludes before Ellie’s kill. It’s later revealed Ellie tortured Nora until she revealed Abby’s location. However, far from feeling victorious, Ellie is deeply disturbed by her actions and traumatized. While Ellie has killed out of necessity before, this is the first time she has tortured a defenseless person so mercilessly.

This is a turning point for Ellie, sending her into a destructive spiral of violence, guilt, and shame. It emphasizes the story’s overarching theme about the futility and destructiveness of revenge.

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