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HBO recently released the penultimate episode of The Last of Us, and after eight intense episodes, it is almost time for us to bid farewell to the first season of the dystopian sci-fi series. The eight episodes were a rollercoaster ride that saw Joel and Ellie attempt to survive the apocalypse while having each other's back.
As the season comes to a close, we'll see if the duo completes their mission of reaching a Firefly base in the hopes of developing a cure or vaccine for the cordyceps infection by utilizing Ellie's immunity. After the recent episode's showdown, which only intensified the bond between Ellie and Joel, we are yet to see what the finale, which is sure to be explosive, has in store for us.
The Last of Us trailer: 3 takeaways
Fans of the game-turned-series are both excited and sad for the final episode of The Last of Us season 1, which will bring Joel and Ellie's story to a temporary standstill. A trailer for the final episode has been released by HBO, and here are some of the major takeaways from it, which hint at what can be expected from the upcoming episode of the series.
1) Joel and Ellie make their way to the Firefly base
The Last of Us episode 9 trailer hints that the bond between Joel and Ellie has only deepened as they reach the Fireflies base in Salt Lake City. This means that the two have finally completed the mission they set out for at the beginning of the season: to get to a Firefly base so that a new cure or vaccine based on Ellie's immunity could be designed as a protection against the virus.
2) More foes await
Just because the duo seem to have arrived at a Firefly base camp does not mean that everything will be okay. The question now is whether the Fireflies can be trusted to figure out how to create a vaccine using Ellie's blood. It turns out that things are not as simple as they appear.
Joel and Ellie's last stop at a Fireflies base in Colorado had led to the former being grievously injured in a near-death attack. Even The Last of Us episode 9 trailer shows us that the pair will have a flashbang grenade thrown their way and Joel engaging in a firefight. This means that Joel and Ellie are once again faced with an unwanted enemy who may only make things more complicated and lead to a cliffhanger ending for season 1.
3) Ashley Johnson's appearance
The Last of Us episode 9 trailer also confirms that original Ellie actor Ashley Johnson will finally be appearing in the series as Ellie's mother, Anna. The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann originally wanted to include her only in the game. Previously, it appeared that Johnson's time in the episode would be limited to a scene involving Ellie's birth, but it now appears that she will have an encounter with the Infected. This may explain Ellie's immunity.
Catch The Last of Us season 1 finale airing next Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
