The Last of Us season 1 episode 2: Can Ellie be a cure?

The Last of Us season 1

Tonight The Last of Us season 1 episode 2 expanded the post-apocalyptic world beautifully, and also clarified much of the larger story.

What we do enjoy about the video-game adaptation so far is rather simple: There is no over-reliance on mystery. Within the first half of tonight’s episode, it was abundantly clear why Ellie is so important … and it is precisely what people new to this franchise would have predicted. The fact that she has the cordyceps infection and is still alive shows that she could present a possible cure to what has spread all over the world. A group of Fireflies out west thing that they can make some magic happen.

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As for whether or not they can, that’s of course a different story up for debate. Joel is skeptical, but let’s make things pretty simple here: He views Ellie as a means to an end. If bringing her to the desired location nets him a battery, that’s all the incentive that he needs.

Want some other backstory? Ellie also explained to Tess in the episode that she is an orphan, and there won’t be any family chasing after her. The opening also gave us a little more of a sense of the infection’s early stages, though we do wonder to a certain extent whether or not it was necessary — a line from Ellie later did explain further that most of the major cities were blown up in an effort to slow down the spread. This episode brought a ton to the table for sure … but also still sadness. Tess, after all, found herself infected close to the end of the hour. That means that once again, things are going to change within this show.

Related Want some other information on the next The Last of Us episode?

What did you think overall about the events of The Last of Us season 1 episode 2, plus what we learned about Ellie?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to stick around for some other updates. (Photo: HBO.)

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