HBO’s The Last of Us recently finished up its first season, and the final sequence was very similar to how things played out in the game. But, earlier in production, there were discussions about deviating from the source material and making the ending something different. Spoilers follow below.
In an interview with GQ, showrunner Craig Mazin said director Ali Abbasi proposed a “slightly longer, sadder” version of the ending where Ellie (Bella Ramsey) says, “Okay,” and then turns and walks away. Joel (Pedro Pascal) looks on, and the pair begin walking down the mountain toward Jackson, not together, but apart, seemingly to allude to the growing rift between them as Ellie questions whether or not Joel really told him the truth about what happened in the hospital. In fact, Joel lied to Ellie, telling her she was actually one of many people who were immune. He also didn’t tell Ellie about brutally murdering many people, including the doctor who was going to conduct the procedure, and Marlene (Merle Dandridge).
Mazin admitted that “there was something beautiful” about this ending, adding that the team debated, “What do we do?”