10 Most Depressing Things About The Last Of Us Part 2
3. Ellie Leaving Dina and J.J.
Talking of ambiguously sad endings…
It seemed like Ellie was going to get the family life she’d always deserved. After her and Dina were spared by Abby, they went back to Jackson and set up their life on a farm at the outskirts out town. Together they began to raise Dina and Jesse’s child, J.J.
After being orphaned as a child, then disconnecting from Joel, Ellie had finally found a family.
This makes her decision to leave her family and track down Abby incredibly frustrating.
Similarly to the way letters are used for storytelling, there is a feature in Part II that allows you to see what Ellie is writing in her journal as she progresses along her journey. When she leaves to find Abby, we see her entries becoming more and more despondent as she longs to be back with Dina and J.J.
However, her sense of duty to Joel and Tommy means she continues.
At the end of the game, Ellie returns to the farm to find no sight of her family. The game is rounded off with the tragic thought that Ellie had finally found happiness, and it is now lost. Although we are unsure of whether she can reconnect with Dina, this (once again) ambiguous ending leaves the player feeling melancholic and wistful for the life Ellie could’ve had.