The Last of Us season 1 ends on an uncertain note about if Ellie believes Joel about what happened with the Fireflies. The duo's cross-country trip to possibly use Ellie's immunity to create a cure for the Cordyceps virus does not bring the result either expected. After forming a strong bond similar to a father and daughter, Joel makes the controversial decision to kill the Firefly doctors who can make the cure. This is because developing the cure requires an operation that would kill Ellie, and he elects to save her instead of potentially saving the world. It leads Pedro Pascal's character to take Ellie back to Jackson.

It is only after Ellie wakes up during The Last of Us season 1's ending that she questions what happened with the Fireflies. Joel concocts a lie about the mission to find the cure shutting down as the Fireflies have already been experimenting on other people who were immune to the virus like Ellie. Her questions return once the duo arrives back at Jackson, as she asks Joel if he told her the truth about what happened. He insists that he did and Ellie's only response is "Okay" as The Last of Us season 1 finale fades to black. The exchange purposefully leaves out confirming if Ellie believes Joel's lies.

Ellie Doesn't Believe Joel At The End Of The Last Of Us Season 1

Ellie looking serious in The Last of Us season 1 episode 9

Thanks to context clues, there is no doubt that Ellie does not believe Joel in The Last of Us season 1's ending. This can be determined through Ellie's need to ask Joel about what happened again. If she believed his Firefly story, she would not have asked him again to tell the truth. Ellie knows that something else happened in Salt Lake City and wants him to admit it. Asking him if he is lying at the end of The Last of Us season 1 is Ellie's final attempt to let him tell her the truth. That's why she simply responds with "Okay" out of frustration and disappointment.

The show did consider making Ellie's thoughts a bit more direct. Series creators Craig Mazin and Neill Druckmann revealed an extended version of the scene, which is otherwise taken almost word-for-word from the game. This version of The Last of Us' final scene would have seen Joel and Ellie begin walking down the hill to Jackson and the distance between them grows as they descended. This would have signaled more directly that Ellie does not believe Joel's lies and set up their dynamic in season 2.

How Joel's Lie Will Hurt His Relationship With Ellie In The Last Of Us Season 2

Joel and Ellie looking at Jackson in The Last of Us episode 9

Joel lying to Ellie will negatively impact their relationship by the time The Last of Us season 2 happens. She no longer feels like she can fully trust him, which means they begin to grow apart. Bella Ramsey's character begins to push him away the more he lies about what really happened when Joel killed the Fireflies. While Joel and Ellie's relationship will still be at the heart of The Last of Us season 2, they will not be as close as they became during the first season.

The result of Joel's lies is Ellie eventually taking into her own hands to investigate what happened. She will return to Salt Lake City and learn the truth about Joel killing the Fireflies. This only makes Ellie push Joel away more and creates more distance in their relationship. It ultimately puts their relationship in a bad place and leads Ellie to declare that she will not be associated with him anymore because of what he did. The Last of Us season 2 could explore a lot of this storyline ahead of Abby's arrival.