The Last of Us Season 2 Cliffhanger Explained: Who Died in the Shocking Finale?
Oh, terrific. Just what we needed—another heartless finale leaving us gnawing on our keyboards. The Last of Us Season 2 wraps up with an ending so bleak even Ellie would roll her eyes. After nine episodes of fungal nightmares and sibling soul-searching, HBO dropped the bombshell in Episode 9: Dina pays the ultimate price to save our roving duo, going out in a hail of clickers and gunfire. According to Variety’s set visit on May 12, showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed Dina’s story arc always headed toward tragedy, and Entertainment Weekly captured Bella Ramsey’s tear-filled send-off when the cameras stopped rolling.
Here’s the rundown you didn’t ask for but absolutely need: the penultimate scene teases Dina happily baking in Jackson, thawing from months on the run. Then, bam—a herd surrounds their safehouse. Joel (Pedro Pascal) orders Dina to the back, but she refuses to hide behind others. In a gut-punch moment captured in The Hollywood Reporter’s photo recap, she charges the swarm, buying time for Ellie to escape. You’ve seen this in every zombie flick ever—except we actually care about these characters. Riley’s survival in Season 1 was tragic; we should’ve known Dina wouldn’t cheat fate twice. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t.
Fans on Reddit’s r/TheLastOfUs exploded within seconds of the broadcast, dissecting every sob-choked line (“I’m not leaving you,” Dina gasps) and the abrupt cut to black. Tweets from Pedro Pascal praised Ramsey’s “incredible vulnerability,” and Variety’s critics argue her sacrifice flips the game’s ending on its head—if the series even intends to adapt The Last of Us Part II accurately. ComicBook.com flagged the missing relationship closure between Ellie and Dina, noting the show still hasn’t committed to Joel’s betrayal of her trust, a central theme in the video game.
Yes, it’s predictable that HBO would mug us for more tears—all while dangling Season 3 development like a carrot. Deadline broke the news that writers are already drafting scripts based on Part II, which means Ellie’s revenge tour is just getting started. If Dina’s exit stings now, just wait until Ellie picks up a gun in the next chapter. I told you so.
And there you have it, dear viewer: Dina’s gone, the duo’s fractured, and we’re left begging for more blood and fungus. Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
