Ellie throws him on their horse and gets out of dodge, but later Joel falls off, unconscious, leaving Ellie with no idea where to go or what to do. It's a harsh and shocking ending, but it's what Ellie needs: after admitting to herself that she needs Joel, she's suddenly lost him.
After some time passes where Ellie and the Jackson community mourn Joel's death, Ellie swears revenge on Abby. Tommy tells Ellie he's going to Seattle to find Abby, which motivates Ellie and Dina go off on a journey to Seattle, where the WLF is located.
When she wakes up, Joel lies and says that the cure did not work. While Joel's decision to kill the Fireflies is controversial in its own right, the biggest issue coming out of the finale is that Joel chooses to lie to Ellie. Importantly, however, Joel only does this to protect Ellie.
The short answer: yes, Ellie knows Joel has lied about what happened with the Fireflies. The longer answer is a bit more complicated. In the closing sequence of the finale, Joel and Ellie approach Jackson.
Here's the long and short of it: Joel was killed before Ellie could forgive him. Her guilt over failing to repair her relationship with the only father figure in her life fuelled her need for revenge, but by not killing Abby, she could forgive Joel through her.
10 Different Ways Ellie Kills Abby - The Last of Us Part II (PS4 Pro) 4K HDR
Does Abby regret killing Joel?
While Abby does not presumably regret killing Joel, it becomes increasingly clear to her by now that it did nothing for her except distance her from Owen and Mel — also unaware at this point about Ellie killing her other friends.
After Joel's death, Dina and Jesse find Tommy at the lodge, and bring him and an injured Ellie back to Jackson. Some time later, Tommy comes over to Ellie's house with a box of food.
Ellie's search for justice, rather than bringing her peace, often brings her pain and suffering. This is seen when she bears a grudge against Joel for lying to her, and for preventing her from sacrificing her life to save humanity. She gives him the cold shoulder, causing a massive rift in their relationship.
However, Ellie's immunity to the Infected is never used to make a cure in any of The Last of Us games, with this possibility never being resolved. The Last of Us Part II doesn't further explore a cure from Ellie, as she chooses to still believe that Joel was telling the truth.
"Our doctor, he thinks that the cordyceps in Ellie has grown with her since birth," Marlene explains. "It produces a kind of chemical messenger. It makes normal cordyceps think that she's cordyceps; it's why she's immune.
Joel is addicted to the supplements that keep him from going into withdrawal. These pills are most likely the show's version of supplements, meaning that Joel is self-medicating with the drugs in order to stave off the constant depression he is struggling with.
He will never forget Sarah, but he has obviously moved on, and he made it pretty clear in several instances. Ellie is alive and well, clearly he cares more about her by the end of the game.
There are a million reasons why Joel lied to Ellie about saving her from the Fireflies. He doesn't want her to carry the weight of all the people he killed to save her or, for that matter, the weight of humanity. Selfishly, he doesn't want to lose the only person who's made his life worthwhile in decades.
The Last of Us Part II already has an emotional and provocative ending, but with the introduction of a new Grounded difficulty mode, Naughty Dog has added a bit of a secret ending that could leave some players in tears. Major spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 follow.
Abby leaves Ellie and Dina alive, telling Ellie if she ever sees her again, she won't hesitate to kill her. Flash forward: Dina and Ellie recover from their injuries and Dina has her baby, an adorable little potato of a child they name Jesse Jr. They live on a farm, raise sheep, dance to records, and are happy.
Dina argued with Ellie against it, but Ellie was resolute in her desire for revenge. Staying true to her word, Dina took JJ and left the farm, leaving Ellie to return home to discover the place abandoned.
In the show, however, Ellie's immunity is caused by such unique timing with regards to when her mom was bitten, when she was born, and when the umbilical cord was cut that it truly positions her as the miracle cure for Cordyceps – making Joel's decision to save her even more devastating.
Ellie's immunity was a complete accident that occurred during her birth. Fans of the game had long theorized the cause of her immunity, but HBO's The Last of Us provided much-needed confirmation. Ellie's mother, Anna, had an encounter with an Infected while in labor.
In the end, while Ellie's immunity could have allowed The Fireflies to create a vaccine, it does not guarantee that the world they are living in would return to normal given the lack of resources and the high chance of corruption within the organization.
Yes, Joel committed a truly selfish act, but the fact that he did it means that he is entirely human. That he has opened his heart, allowed himself to care about another person and found something (someone) worth fighting for.
The road leading to the climax of HBO's The Last of Us has been built around the relationship formed by Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Initially antagonistic, it soon becomes a relationship of convenience, necessity, and eventually, love.
Joel's reasoning for lying was to protect Ellie from the truth, knowing she would have to sacrifice herself for the human race. He knew full well the teen would give her life if it meant an end to Cordyceps but selfishly he knew he couldn't lost Ellie.
Ellie is still mad at Joel, not just because Joel took away her choice to die for the Fireflies to develop a cure, but also because doing so meant her life would have mattered. Ellie believes that because Joel took that choice away from her, her life doesn't matter anymore.
The boy continues to serve the story because Joel's reaction indicates who Joel became after his daughter Sarah's death. Her passing caused him to close off emotionally from the world.
What does Joel say to Ellie after she kills David?
Joel pulls Ellie away and says something to her. He says "I'm never gonna leave you again, you understand?" For even more heartwarming; pay attention to the music in that scene. It's the same that played when Joel told Ellie "you're not my daughter" in Fall, making its return the moment he calls her "baby girl".
