The Last of Us: What if Joel had told Ellie the truth? How Season 2 would look completely different

At the heart of The Last of Us—an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name—is the beautiful, tear-inducing, emotionally fraught relationship between Joel Miller and Ellie Williams. Theirs is a story of shared survival and resilience. However, the relationship is not always smooth. They pass through many litmus tests and go through many ups and downs. In season 1, we saw the bond between Ellie and Joel form and develop. Season 2 tells us where that dynamic arrives.

Poster for Last of Us (Image via Amazon Prime Video)

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Reader's discretion is advised.

In The Last of Us, Joel provides Ellie a safe space to confide in and protects her with the knowledge and experience of surviving the Cordyceps apocalypse. But for Joel, this survival was not without loss. He lost his daughter in the apocalypse, and this made him emotionally shut down.

Cast of "The Last Of Us" - Source: Getty

How Ellie and Joel met in The Last of Us (Season 1)

Joel and Ellie meet each other for the first time in Episode 1 of The Last of Us. When Ellie is stuck in the Boston Quarantine Zone, Joel, a man with significant experience and survival skills, is given the responsibility of smuggling her out.

Tess is Joel's partner, and they both have navigated the treacherous, dangerous terrains of an apocalypse-hit world together. Eventually, they are hired by the Fireflies, a rebel militia group. They are given a mysterious cargo in which Ellie remains hidden. This is where The Last of Us Season 2 gets interesting.

When you look at Joel in The Last of Us for the first few scenes, he does not appear too friendly. He reflects the ruthless reality of a dying world. He even gets irritated by her, seeing her as another mission to complete and go about survival again. Soon, Ellie's importance becomes known to Joel. He realizes that Ellie is the potential key to finding a cure—and it is at this point in the story that Joel becomes even more committed to the task. The initial conversations are visibly laced with mutual distrust and discomfort. However, as the story proceeds, the guards get lowered on both sides.

The evolution of Ellie-Joel's relationship in The Last of Us

The first season traces how Joel and Ellie’s relationship evolves into a rather fun yet comforting father-daughter relationship. Joel lost her little girl once. When he meets Ellie, he is reminded of the loss. He starts to relate to Ellie and shares a profound dynamic with her.

In The Last of Us, Joel protects her not once but on multiple occasions. Not only because he has to in order to complete his mission, but because he wants Ellie to live on. Ellie, too, slowly helps Joel lower his emotional armor, slowly becoming the first person he lets in after losing Sarah.

Two episodes from Season 1 set the tone for Ellie and Joel: Left Behind and Kin We see Ellie’s vulnerability and longing for connection. She is also alone in this world. It is only Joel who is by her side every breath and every Cordyceps encounter in the journey.

Joel's father-like protective intent towards Ellie is explored profoundly in When We Are in Need. Their survival does not only amount to life on earth but also deep emotional healing.

The lie that changed everything

In the Season One finale of The Last of Us, Joel learns something deeply tragic. He learns that to reach a cure from Ellie's immunity, she will have to undergo a fatal surgery that would kill her. After developing a deep connection with Ellie, Joel could not bear the thought of it. He brought her back from a point of no return (literally). Joel lost his daughter Sarah to the apocalypse; he did not want to lose Ellie too.

In an effort to rescue her out of the surgical camp organized for the operation, Joel goes on a killing rampage. Ending the lives of Firefly soldiers, and even Marlene, the group’s leader, Joel carries Ellie out of the dilapidated facility while she’s still unconscious.

When Ellie wakes up, not understanding what went wrong, she confronts Joel. To this, Joel falsely informs Ellie that the Fireflies had found other immune people and had stopped looking for a cure. Ellie, partly suspicious and partly distraught, asks Joel to swear he’s telling the truth. Joel does take the step to reaffirm Ellie. This lie is not just a narrative decision; it’s the emotional axis on which the entire franchise turns (and returns with a part 2).

How season 2 would be different

1.Ellie would have been differently impacted

In the timeline that follows, Season 2 of The Last of Us (adapted from Part II) is fueled by Ellie's internal journey. We see many sides to a character that once leaned on Joel for support. She experiences guilt, rage, and the indomitable madness of searching for answers. Her arc is wrought with violence, loss, betrayal, and, most importantly, it is tragically circular. Joel’s lie does not let her be at peace.

But in an alternate Season 2—where Joel told the truth—her arc would have a completely different maturation.

For starters, Ellie’s relationship with Joel in the years after Season 1's incident will remain honest, even if strained. Ellie would still blame Joel for the decision, but the conflict would alter course, from secrecy to ethical disagreement.

The way Ellie felt about survival would also change: it would no longer mean navigating life and evading death, but her life would become a burden.

2. Dina and Ellie's relationship would be different in Last of Us

We know how her relationship with Dina was less volatile. Maybe, if the truth were told, their relationship would remain less turbulent. In Part II, we see a change in Ellie's character. Ellie is driven to leave Jackson and pursue her wrath. She is hungry for vengeance.

3. Abby's arc would be different

Following the seasons, we eventually learn that Abby’s hatred for Joel is deeply personal. Abby is taken over by her thirst for vengeance for her father’s death. If Joel had told Ellie the truth, Abby's motivations would have been different.

In the alternate scenario, the Fireflies could reemerge as a popular militant group. The story would stray towards political vendettas. The revenge theme—so central to Part II—might end up being an ethical warfare only.

4. The Ellie we could have seen

The Ellie we knew from Season 1 is different from who we know in Part II. She is shaped by silence, betrayal, and grief. If Joel had told her the truth, she would have remained engulfed in her trauma.

She might become more of a leader herself and might direct her pain toward creating something positive and not channel it further into her existence.