The ending of The Last of Us — both the game and Season 1 of HBO’s show — is tremendously satisfying. Joel Miller, a man plagued by the fact that he couldn’t save his daughter, is determined to live out the rest of his days alone when he meets Ellie, a teenager who’s somehow immune to the infection that destroyed the world, and who offers hope that a cure can be made.
But when Joel delivers Ellie to the scientists who want to study her, he realizes the possibility of a cure would mean sacrificing Ellie, a tradeoff he’s not willing to make. So he rescues her, murdering the scientists in the process and kickstarting the plot of the second game (and season). But would the procedure have worked if Joel hadn’t intervened? Would sacrificing Ellie have saved the planet? Co-showrunner Neil Druckmann actually has an answer... even though he maybe shouldn’t.
