by HBO’s The Last of Us recently wrapped its first season, and the final sequence was very similar to how things played out in the game. But early in production there were discussions about deviating from the source material and making the ending different. Spoilers follow below.
In an interview with GQ, showrunner Craig Mazin said director Ali Abbasi suggested a “slightly longer, sadder” version of the ending, in which Ellie (Bella Ramsey) says “okay” and then turns and walks away. Joel (Pedro Pascal) watches, and the two begin walking down the mountain towards Jackson, not together but separately, seemingly to allude to the growing rift between them, while Ellie questions if Joel is really telling him the truth about this what happened has said the hospital. In fact, Joel lied to Ellie and told her that she was actually one of many people who were immune. He also didn’t tell Ellie about the brutal murder of many people, including the doctor assigned to perform the procedure and Marlene (Merle Dandridge).