Spoiler and content warning: this article contains spoilers for The Last of Us’ season one finale as well as mentions of suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
The Last of Us is positively littered with symbolism and foreshadowing if you look hard enough, and fans on Reddit are just now noticing one clever link between the season one premiere and the finale.
On the r/thelastofus subreddit, fans have pointed out that the episode titles of the first and ninth episodes of The Last of Us not only connect to each other, but also symbolise Joel’s journey from losing his daughter Sarah to saving Ellie from the Fireflies.
Advert
The Last of Us Part I comes to PC on 28 March - take a look at the trailer below.
“I am so dumb, how did I not realise this until now,” amanimaedesign wrote, pointing out that episode one is called ‘When You’re Lost in the Darkness’ and episode nine is called ‘Look for the Light’, completing the Fireflies’ slogan. While this naming pattern already works in the sense of Joel and Ellie finding ‘the light’ in the form of the Fireflies in the ninth episode, it can also go further than that.
Losing Sarah in the first episode changed Joel’s life as he knew it forever, and in the finale, he tells Ellie that he tried to take his life shortly after her death. Ellie suggests that “time heals all wounds”, but Joel corrects her and says “it wasn’t time that did it”, and the soft look he gives her says everything - it was her. As such, choosing to save Ellie at all costs in the hospital was Joel’s way of looking for his light.
Advert
“It’s honestly such a great little hint, I love it a lot. The first episode is where Joel starts to get lost in darkness. Then the last episode, he looks for light, by Ellie,” Technical-Wedding-85 wrote.
That’s not the only parallel that can be spotted between the premiere and finale - Joel carries Ellie from the hospital in the exact same way as he carried Sarah after she injured her leg during the chaos of Outbreak Day. My heart.
Season two of The Last of Us has already been confirmed, but we don't currently know when it'll be airing - watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: HBOTopics: TV And Film, The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog