The Last Of Us Season 1 Ending Explained: Ellie’s True Immunity

The final episode of The Last of Us begins by taking viewers back about fifteen years, right to the day Ellie was born. Her mother, Anna — played by Ashley Johnson, who voices Ellie in the video game — features in this emotional flashback. That scene does more than just serve as a nostalgic nod.

It attempts to shed light on how Ellie ended up with her immunity. Heavily pregnant and in labor, Anna is being chased by an Infected. She manages to find shelter upstairs in a deserted farmhouse. Though she succeeds in killing the creature using a knife, the same one Ellie later carries.

She still suffers a bite close to her femoral artery. As soon as she deals with the Infected, Anna cradles newborn Ellie in her arms. She cuts the umbilical cord quickly, but the timing remains questionable.

Later, when her old friend Marlene (played by Merle Dandridge), leader of the Fireflies, arrives, Anna insists she was bitten only after delivering Ellie. Whether or not Marlene accepts this explanation remains unclear.

Still, she promises to take Ellie to the Boston QZ and honor Anna’s last request — reluctantly shooting her before she has the chance to turn. Fast-forward to the present timeline and Joel and Ellie have reached Salt Lake City. After everything that happened in Episode 8, Ellie is unusually quiet and withdrawn.

On top of recovering from the trauma of being trapped in a cannibalistic, abusive cult, she now has to face what she believes is her destiny — to give herself over to the Firefly doctors. Even though viewers are not given the full medical details, the atmosphere suggests she might not survive the process.

Joel tries to confirm her decision and even suggests they return to Jackson instead.

Moments of Connection and Peace

During their walk to the Firefly Hospital, they pause at several points. One of the more striking moments comes when Ellie sees a giraffe casually feeding in the city’s abandoned area. She rushes to it in amazement.

Joel, who has become noticeably more affectionate — even digging up an old Boggle game to cheer her up earlier — joins her. He assists her in feeding the giraffe. That entire scene, brief as it is, gives a sense of normalcy and innocence.

Ellie’s reaction shows she is still very much a child, and in Joel’s eyes, she begins to resemble his late daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). He even tells Ellie that though Sarah was different, the two of them would’ve probably shared jokes and laughter.

But those few peaceful moments don’t last. Joel soon opens up about the period following Sarah’s death. He reveals that he once tried to end his life — believing there was nothing worth holding onto. He didn’t succeed, and back then, he didn’t know why.

With Tess gone, and his emotional reunion with Tommy (Gabriel Luna) not quite going as expected, Joel had resolved to avoid getting too attached. But since Ellie entered his life and nursed him back to health, he now sees the value in protecting someone again.

Joel begins to regard Ellie as his daughter, and he shares that having someone to protect him gives his life meaning. Things take a drastic turn when Firefly soldiers ambush them and render both unconscious. Joel wakes up alone, restrained inside the hospital.

Marlene comes in and praises Joel for managing to escort Ellie all the way. She wants to make it clear that she doesn’t owe him anything, even though he has fulfilled his part. Joel asks to see Ellie, and that’s when Marlene tells him the girl is being prepared for surgery.

Joel insists on seeing her, but Marlene puts her foot down and refuses.

The Last Of Us Ending, Explained: What Joel’s Decision Means

From Marlene’s explanation, it’s revealed that the Cordyceps fungus inside Ellie has matured along with her since birth. Even though Anna tried to separate them in time, enough of the infection passed into Ellie’s system through the umbilical cord.

The doctor in charge — the only one who can handle the procedure — must extract the Cordyceps from Ellie’s brain. The trouble is, this procedure will kill her. Joel can’t process how Marlene is comfortable with such an outcome.

She tries to explain that this choice weighs heavily on her, especially because she once promised Anna she’d keep Ellie safe. But she insists that this is the only possible way to save humanity. Joel refuses to hear any of that. His only concern is Ellie’s safety.

While being escorted out of the hospital, Joel turns on the two Fireflies guarding him. He kills them, takes their weapons, and goes on a rampage through the hospital. Determined to take Ellie back, he eliminates anyone who gets in his way.

When he reaches the operating theatre, he doesn’t hesitate — he shoots the surgeon immediately, then lifts the unconscious girl and begins to flee. Marlene tries to block him in the parking area. First, she appeals to his sense of reason, asking him to think of what Ellie could achieve.

Then, she begs for her life. Joel doesn’t budge. He shoots her too, believing she would never stop chasing after Ellie if left alive. Eventually, Ellie regains consciousness inside a car Joel stole. He’s behind the wheel, hands tight on the steering.

He gives her a vague version of what happened, telling her that things didn’t go well at the hospital. He avoids revealing that Ellie would have died if the surgery went ahead. Instead, he claims there are other immune people like her, but that none of them led to a cure.

He says the Firefly base was attacked, never mentioning his part in the bloodshed. As they walk towards Jackson — the settlement where Joel’s brother Tommy and his wife live — Ellie becomes suspicious. She asks Joel whether everything he told her was the truth.

This is his one opportunity to come clean and tell her the reality of what went down. But Joel sticks to his story, repeating that he told her the truth. Ellie pauses for a bit, then quietly responds with, “Okay.”

Whether Joel’s methods are acceptable or not, his motive — protecting Ellie — is something many can relate to, even if they wouldn’t have done the same thing. Some might even argue that Ellie never had the chance to fully understand or agree to the surgery.

Marlene insists that Ellie would’ve wanted to make the sacrifice, to do something meaningful. But Marlene herself doesn’t fully believe that enough to ask Ellie directly for her consent. Joel’s actions carry more consequences than just the lives he took. He also denies Ellie her agency.

By refusing to tell her what happened and making the choice on her behalf, he removes her ability to decide for herself. Even though he may think he did it to spare her the burden of such a difficult decision, there’s also a part of it that is selfish.

Joel can’t go through losing someone like Ellie — not again, not after Sarah. He wants something to hold onto. That same need to protect has led him to do what Marlene did too: taking away Ellie’s right to choose.

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