The Last Of Us finale recap: How did season 2 end? Plus everything we know so far about season 3

The post-apocalyptic HBO series is an adaptation of the popular video game of the same name, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Audiences have raved over the TV adaptation since it premiered in 2023, and season two has brought more heartbreaking storylines to life on the small screen.

WARNING: Spoilers for The Last Of Us season two ahead!

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) has been on the warpath for most of the season, hunting down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) after the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) soldier killed Ellie’s surrogate guardian Joel. Abby’s revenge came after Joel killed her father at the end of season one, ending the life of the only doctor who could make a cure to the cordyceps brain virus from Ellie, who is the only known human immune to the virus.

Last week’s episode took us out of the main storyline to present flashbacks between Joel and Ellie and what led to the breakdown and eventual repair of their relationship before Joel’s death. But the show’s season two finale threw viewer right back into the action.

How did The Last Of Us season two end?

In the seventh and final episode of The Last Of Us season two, Ellie’s revenge plan comes to a climax as she comes face-to-face with Abby.

However, before we get to that point, we see Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino) as they deal with the fallout of being caught in the battle playing out between the WLF and the religious cult Seraphites. A pregnant Dina was hit in the leg by an arrow, leading to Jesse having to push it through and patch her up.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Jesse noticed Dina’s refusal of alcohol before her leg was patched up, and recognised that he was about to become a father.

Ellie, who was last seen in the current timeline hunting down Nora (Tati Gabrielle) at the hospital to gain knowledge of Abby’s whereabouts before killing the WLF member, returns to the theatre, where she grapples with the magnitude of her actions so far. At this point, she reveals to Dina that Joel killed Abby’s father and killed all hopes of making a cure to the virus.

Dina and Jesse are calling for an end to Ellie’s brutal revenge plan, with Jesse explaining that they should be going to look for Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel’s brother, who followed Jesse in catching up with Ellie and Dina on the road. While they set off, Ellie puts Nora’s last words together - ‘whale’ and ‘wheel’ - and it comes to her that Abby is hiding out at the aquarium. Ellie is still hung up on her revenge and leaves the group to seek out Abby.

She comes across Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), two WLF members, and attempts to draw more information about Abby’s whereabouts out of them. After Owen reaches for a gun, Ellie’s trigger finger reacts, shooting him in the neck and accidently hitting Mel. In the final moments of her life, she begs Ellie to cut her baby out of her, but Ellie is paralysed by the realisation that she was pregnant.

Tommy and Jesse rush into the scene, where Tommy gathers Ellie up and Jesse is horrified by the scene in front of him. They all return to the theatre, where Ellie looks to be ready to give up the ghost after the shock of Owen and Mel’s deaths and shares her fears over the dangerous situation she has put her friends in.

Tommy tells Ellie that Owen and Mel were still complicit in Joel’s death, even if they didn’t wield the golf club themselves. Ellie and Jesse also have a heart-to-heart where she thanks him for risking his life in coming back for her.

This touching moment is cut short however amid a sudden commotion in the theatre’s lobby. Jesse is immediately shot dead before we get our first glimpse of Abby since episode two. She is holding Tommy hostage, with a gun to his head, as Ellie looks on petrified at the fact she has put her friends in this situation.

Abby confronts Ellie, telling her that she “wasted” her opportunity after Abby spared her life during Joel’s brutal murder. Abby then turn to gun to Ellie. The screen goes black before we hear a gunshot, unaware of who has pulled the trigger or who has been shot.

In the final moments of the episode, we go back in time to when Ellie’s journey to Seattle began, but this time following Abby’s movements over the past few days as a ‘Day 1’ graphic lays over the screen.

When is The Last Of Us season 3?

The Last Of Us Part II, which was released on Playstation in 2020, tells the story from two POV characters - Ellie and Abby. Given that we followed Ellie’s journey in the seven episodes of season two of the show, and with that ending taking us back to day 1, The Last Of Us season three looks set to follow Abby’s side of the storyline.

And there’s good new for fans, as HBO confirmed that season three was definitely on its way just a few days before the season two finale. Francesca Orsi, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, said: “It can’t be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of THE LAST OF US is. Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have also quelled disappointment over season two’s relatively short episode-run, promising that season three will be bigger as the expansive story of The Last Of Us Part II continues.

Mazin told Deadline: “We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that – as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television – Season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require Season 4.”

As for a release date, HBO has made no announcements as of yet. If season three follows a similar timeline to season two, which filmed in February 2024 and aired in April 2025, we could see filming getting underway in 2026, with a possible release date coming in early 2027.