This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 1.The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey recently reflected on season 1's controversial ending. Based on the award-winning PlayStation video game of the same name, HBO's popular horror drama stars Ramsey as Ellie, a 14-year-old orphan who carries a natural immunity to the fungal infection that devastated the world. When Joel (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with safely escorting Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States to reach a violent revolutionary faction known as the Fireflies, the pair develop bond forged through their perilous journey.
Speaking with L'Officiel, Ramsey shared her thoughts on Joel's controversial decision at the conclusion of The Last of Us season 1. When asked what she would do if faced with Joel's dilemma, Ramsey admitted that "it depends" but completely understands "why Joel did what he did." Read what the actor said below:
"It’s like the trolley problem. I don’t really know what I’d do. It depends on who the person was and it depends on how messed up humanity is, but I can see why Joel did what he did. Me as Bella, I’m not mad about it or mad at him, but Ellie is mad obviously because [being the cure] was her purpose. That’s what she was. She felt like she actually mattered and, ironically, Joel took away that purpose from her because she mattered so much to him."
Why The Last of Us Ending Was Controversial
At the beginning of Joel and Ellie's dangerous trek across the country, the pair wanted nothing to do with each other. Joel only saw the young girl as cargo, simply as a source for payment. His past trauma stemming from the painful loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) led to Joel's uncaring emotionless demeanor as he survives day-to-day. However, after months living together, evading both infected and murderous survivor groups, Joel and Ellie developed a strong relationship.
It was Joel's love for Ellie that led to The Last of Us' controversial ending. After finally arriving at the Firefly hospital base in Salt Lake City, Joel soon learns that in order to develop a cure from Ellie, the doctors would need to perform an operation that would result in her death. When faced with the conundrum of either potentially saving the world from the Cordyceps fungus or keeping Ellie alive, Joel chose the latter and massacred any Fireflies in his way to rescue his surrogate daughter.
Viewers immediately took to social media following HBO's The Last of Us season 1 finale to debate the merits of Joel's fateful decision, echoing the conversation gamers had nearly 10 years prior with the original video game's release. Some called Joel's actions selfish as he chose the life of one over millions of survivors, while others thought Joel was justified, pointing to the fact the Fireflies failed to get informed consent from Ellie and the feasibility regarding the creation and dissemination of the possible cure. With The Last of Us season 2 set to begin filming later this year, audiences will have to wait to see how season 1's ending will affect Joel's relationship with Ellie.
Source: L'Officiel