So, the dust has finally settled on the season finale. Everyone is talking about that cut to black, the sound of the gunshot, and whether Jesse actually had a chance. If you've been following the discourse online, you've probably seen a hundred different theories about what that ending means for Ellie's soul. Honestly, it’s a lot to process.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7, titled "Convergence," is basically a car crash in slow motion. We knew it was coming. If you played the game, you had the map in your head, but Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann still managed to make the actual impact feel like a punch to the gut. It wasn't just a retelling; it was a total recalibration of how we view Ellie’s "heroic" quest for justice.
The Aquarium Scene Was Way Darker Than the Game
Most people expected the confrontation with Owen and Mel to be brutal. It was. But the show added a layer of psychological horror that the PlayStation version didn't quite touch. In the game, Mel attacks Ellie, and the death feels like a frantic, heat-of-the-moment act of self-defense. In the show? It's messier. It’s "accidental" but feels more negligent.
Owen reaches for a gun, Ellie fires, and the bullet passes right through him into Mel’s neck. The real kicker, the thing that’s going to haunt my nightmares for a week, was Mel begging Ellie to perform an emergency C-section. She literally asked her killer to cut her open to save the baby. Bella Ramsey’s face in that moment said everything. It wasn't just shock; it was the realization that she’s become the monster in someone else’s story.
💡 You might also like: Songs by Tyler Childers: What Most People Get Wrong
Why Jesse’s Death Hits Different
Poor Jesse. Young Mazino played him with such a grounded, "let’s just get home" energy that his sudden exit felt genuinely unfair. One second he’s talking about the future and the community in Jackson, and the next, he’s gone. No heroic monologue. No slow-motion goodbye. Just a door opening and a bullet to the face.
Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby finally stepping into the theater changed the entire temperature of the show. We’ve spent most of the season seeing her as a ghost, a name Ellie screams into the Seattle rain. When she actually shows up, she doesn't look like a villain. She looks like someone who just found her friends murdered in an aquarium.
What Really Happened With the Timeline Shift
The most controversial part of The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7 has to be that final pivot. Just as Abby pulls the trigger and we hear the shot, the screen goes black. We don't see who died or who lived. Instead, we jump back. Three days earlier.
📖 Related: Questions From Black Card Revoked: The Culture Test That Might Just Get You Roasted
We see Abby waking up in the WLF stadium.
This is the "risky" move the writers were talking about. By ending the season right as we're forced to start seeing the world through Abby's eyes, the show is demanding empathy for someone we’ve been taught to hate for seven episodes. It’s a massive gamble. Some fans are annoyed by the cliffhanger, but it’s actually a brilliant piece of structural storytelling. It forces us to sit with the carnage Ellie caused before we see the "why" behind Abby’s side of things.
The Seraphite Island Detour
One thing that caught game fans off guard was Ellie washing up on the Seraphite island early. In the source material, Ellie never goes there—that's Abby's territory later on. But having Ellie see the "Scars" up close, seeing them execute people and seeing the fear in the children's eyes, adds this layer of "everyone is fighting a war that doesn't matter."
👉 See also: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
It highlights the obsession. Jesse wants to save a Seraphite boy because it’s the right thing to do. Ellie wants to keep moving because she’s addicted to her own rage.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’re reeling from the finale and wondering what to do while waiting for Season 3, here’s how to actually digest what you just watched:
- Watch the "Inside the Episode" Featurette: HBO Max usually drops these right after the finale. Mazin breaks down why they changed Mel’s death and the significance of the Soundgarden song "Burden in My Hand" in the credits.
- Re-watch Episode 1: Go back and look at the Fireflies Joel killed. The show has been dropping hints about Owen and Mel’s connection to that hospital all along.
- Don't Google Season 3 Spoilers: If you haven't played the game, stay away from the "Abby Day 1" wikis. The show is clearly going to remix the timeline in ways that will surprise even veteran players.
- Listen to the Lyrics: The Soundgarden track isn't just a 90s throwback. The lyrics about "killing your health" and "killing your family" are a direct mirror to Ellie's descent.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7 wasn't about winning. It was about the cost of staying in the fight too long. Ellie got her "confrontation," but she lost Jesse, she likely lost her relationship with Dina, and she definitely lost the moral high ground. Now, we just have to wait and see what happens when the gun actually goes off.
To wrap your head around the full scope of the narrative, your best bet is to look back at the "Day One" parallels from earlier this season. Seeing where Abby was while Ellie was first entering Seattle will likely be the primary focus of the next chapter. Pay close attention to the background chatter in the WLF stadium when you re-watch the final minutes; those details set the stage for the massive conflict to come.