You Won't Believe What Really Happened in The Last of Us Season 1

After a two-year hiatus, The Last of Us will soon return to HBO. While trailers have teased the nightmares that await in the show’s sophomore outing, after a lengthy wait for new episodes you might not remember all of the old ones. Why exactly do monsters now rule the world? How did Joel and Ellie end up living in a commune? And what world-shattering secret is he keeping from her? Here’s everything you need to remember from The Last of Us season one so you can have a fun(gi) time when season two premieres.

A Fungus Conquered Humanity Creating a Dystopia of Monsters

In the premiere of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” set in 1968, a talk show hosted discussions among epidemiologists about potential disasters. One of them expressed concern that fungi, potentially adapting to a warming planet, were more worrying than viruses. Regrettably, his apprehensions proved accurate when the parasitic fungal infection cordyceps started infecting humans in 2003. The mind-controlling cordyceps rapidly spread globally, transforming people into terrifying, zombie-like puppet creatures.

In contrast to what you might expect from the game series, those creatures didn’t release floating spores capable of spreading contagion. However, it seems we’ll be seeing those spores in season two!

For twenty years following the outbreak, individuals in America had three main options: living within QZ zones under the strict rule of the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), setting up their own communities, or venturing out alone with no support. Some chose to join an underground movement resisting FEDRA known as the Fireflies. For two decades, new strains of disease and monstrous creatures emerged during this period.

1. Discover More: Unveiling How The Last of Us Elevated the Horror of Pop Culture’s Most Intimidating Zombies

2. Delve Deeper: Exploring HBO’s Transformation of The Last of Us Infection Mechanisms

3. Explore Further: Breaking Down the Various Types of Infected Creatures in The Last of Us

4. Uncover More: Investigating the Sinister Evolution of FEDRA in The Last of Us TV Series

How Joel and Ellie Ended Up Together on The Last of Us

As an Austin, Texas resident when the apocalypse unfolded, I watched in horror as a soldier took the life of my daughter Sarah amidst the initial chaos. In the ensuing pandemonium, I found myself alongside my brother Tommy, traversing our way to Boston’s Quarantine Zone (QZ). Life here was a delicate dance between survival and hope, and I shared this existence with my romantic partner Tess, engaging in illicit activities as smugglers. In the present narrative of the show, we are on a mission to locate a rare car battery so that I can journey cross-country in search of Tommy, who had ventured away from Boston years prior.

In my perspective, the strategy eventually culminated in us striking a deal with Marlene, the head of Boston’s Firefly faction. We were to obtain a car battery by escorting a young girl named Ellie out of the Quarantine Zone and delivering her to Massachusetts’ State House. However, during our trip, Tess contracted an infection. With the Fireflies no longer interested in Ellie due to Tess’s demise, Tess’s final plea as she gave up her life was for me to see that Ellie made it to Utah.

As I hesitantly consented, we embarked on an arduous journey spanning the length and breadth of the country during season one. Our path was fraught with danger, brushing death’s edge more times than I care to remember. Along the way, we confronted and eliminated numerous vile individuals and monstrous entities that stood in our path.

Despite battling self-doubt, sorrow, anxiety attacks, and auditory problems, Joel carried on his actions because deep down he recognized Tess was correct. Someone had to safeguard Ellie, whom he grew affectionate towards, as she holds great significance. She’s immune to cordyceps.

Why Ellie Is Immune to Cordyceps?

Ellie stands out uniquely as the sole individual on Earth who inherently resists cordyceps infection. A beast bit her, yet no reaction was observed by Tess and Joel. Her extraordinary status is attributed to an exceptionally rare and challenging-to-duplicate series of incidents.

In the very instant of giving birth, a monster-infected creature bit Anna, Ellie’s mother. Before Anna could even cut the umbilical cord, she had already been bitten. In a twist of events, Anna, using the same knife she’d used to fend off the monster, managed to cut the cord. Skeptical but ultimately convinced by Anna’s lie about doing so earlier, her friend Marlene took the newborn and looked after her. Despite the unusual circumstances, Marlene found a safe haven for the baby – she enrolled her in a FEDRA military school. Ellie stayed there until one fateful night when she broke out with her close companion and love interest, Riley. This tragic event led to Riley contracting the infection, and ultimately, Ellie had no choice but to end Riley’s life.

Even though Marlene had known Ellie from birth and pledged to protect her, she found herself prepared to give up Ellie’s life in order to save humanity.

The Plan to Kill Ellie and Use Her Brain for a Cordyceps Cure

In Salt Lake City, Dr. Firefly hypothesized that cordyceps had been present in Ellie’s brain since her birth, which is why it was thought she could hold the solution to eradicating the infection for good, as Marlene explained this to Joel.

It generates a specific type of signaling molecule. This causes normal cordyceps to believe they are identical to this entity, granting them immunity. The plan is to extract this substance from her, multiply the cells in a lab, and then synthesize those messenger molecules. If successful, we could distribute it as a potential cure for everyone, Joel. He believes it could be the solution, Joel. A solution.

Joel learned that the strategy involved ending Ellie’s life, and he insisted they halt it. Marlene explained that Ellie was unaware of the true purpose of her surgery, thus she wouldn’t endure suffering. Then, she instructed Firefly troops to guide Joel out of the city.

Joel reluctantly refused both of them and their proposal. He wasn’t prepared to part ways with Ellie, the one who had aided him in regaining his life, just as he hadn’t been ready to let go of Sarah.

How Did Joel Save Ellie in The Last of Us Season 1 Finale?

In my perspective, as I recount this cinematic scene, it’s clear that Joel wasn’t one to be trifled with. Escorted by two guards outside the hospital, he seized the moment of opportunity and neutralized them both before they could reach fresh air. From there, it was a chilling display of violence as he embarked on a ruthless rampage, leaving no Firefly unscathed. Even those who surrendered their weapons were not spared his wrath. A harrowing portrayal of survival instincts at their most primal, this sequence left me utterly spellbound.

In the operating room, when Joel arrived, he discovered the surgeon about to operate on anesthetized Ellie. The doctor refused to relinquish Ellie, prompting Joel to instantly shoot him. He commanded the nurses to disconnect Ellie, and after they did, Joel released the three nurses – the only individuals who were aware of what transpired that day and managed to survive. Tragically, Joel had also killed Marlene in the parking garage, as she pleaded with him to halt her execution.

He didn’t tell Ellie about anything he’d done or why.

Joel Lies to Ellie About Her Immunity and What Happened in Utah

In a hospital gown, Ellie found herself seated in the back of a pickup truck, parked just outside Salt Lake City. Something didn’t feel right to her, so Joel fabricated several stories. He claimed that the Fireflies had discovered other immune individuals but regrettably, the medical professionals stated no one among them could offer a cure. To explain why Ellie was without clothes, he said raiders had assaulted the hospital, causing the death of Marlene and all other Fireflies. In a desperate bid to save both their lives, Joel managed to extract them from the chaos unscathed.

What he spoke genuinely about was their return to Wyoming. They planned to reside with his brother, Tommy (the one aware of Ellie’s immunity), and his pregnant spouse, Maria (who has reservations regarding Joel), in their communal living arrangement.

At the culmination of season one, right on the outskirts of the fortified Wyoming settlement, Ellie questioned Joel, “Promise me, promise me that every word you said about the Fireflies is genuine.

He did, and Ellie finally accepted his story with an “okay.”

After getting acquainted with all the key points from season one, feel free to delve into what’s known so far about The Last of Us season two.

2025-03-12 21:34

You Won’t Believe What Really Happened in The Last of Us Season 1