One The Last of Us 2 Relationship Could Be Even More Important in TLoU 3’s Story

Major spoilers ahead for The Last of Us 2

So far, The Last of Us franchise has mainly revolved around Ellie and Joel’s complex relationship. Since the beginning, Ellie and Joel’s relationship has been the heart of the series, but now with Joel’s death taking him out of the picture, Ellie has to figure out how to navigate life without him. The Last of Us 2 sent a shock through the gaming world when Joel met an abrupt end at the hands of Abby, leading Ellie on a journey for revenge.

Through this revenge journey, Ellie is accompanied by her girlfriend Dina, and their friend Jesse. With Dina and Jesse being exes, it is eventually revealed after Jesse’s death that Dina is pregnant with his child. This understandably causes a lot of tension between Ellie and Dina, as it’s incredibly dangerous for Dina to have tagged along. Ellie and Dina’s tumultuous relationship comes to its climax when Ellie goes out to hunt Abby one last time, leaving Dina and the newborn JJ behind. Despite the turmoil in this relationship, there still may be room to explore it further in The Last of Us 3.

Ellie and Dina’s Relationship May Not Be Over Yet

After Tommy convinces Ellie to give revenge on Abby one last shot, Dina makes it clear that this will be the end of her and Ellie’s relationship. Once Ellie returns from failing to kill Abby, Dina has made good on her promise, as she is now long gone from the farmhouse where she and Ellie had begun to raise baby JJ. Although Dina’s whereabouts are unknown, it’s theorized that she has returned to the community of Jackson.

Ellie Moving On From Her Grief

At the end of The Last of Us 2, it’s clear that Ellie has begun to heal from the loss of Joel, as she now understands that revenge doesn’t bring about the healing one might hope for. She returns to the farmhouse expecting to see Dina, but is greeted by an empty home. The final scene of The Last of Us 2 shows Ellie walking away from the house, presumably towards Jackson, as she now works to move on from the past.

With Dina, Ellie had the chance of a future, and it might not be too late to patch things up with her. If Dina finds it in herself to forgive Ellie, then she may finally get the happy ending she’s been needing since the beginning. There are theories that Ellie could become another version of Joel, but she deserves to move on and find a life outside of him. The evolution of Ellie’s character is in a tricky spot at the moment, but she ultimately deserves happiness.

There is no official confirmation from Naughty Dog that a third chapter in
The Last of Us
franchise is coming soon, although director and writer Neil Druckmann has suggested he has an idea for such a game.

Exploring Ellie and Dina’s Relationship in Part 3

The relationship between Ellie and Dina may actually get a huge spotlight put on it in The Last of Us 3. Now that Ellie has the painful knowledge that revenge doesn’t fix the past, she could finally be ready to commit to a life with Dina and JJ. The Last of Us is at a real crossroads with how it wants to continue the story, but getting to see Ellie fully heal and learn from her mistakes could give the character some true closure.

Whatever route the next game in The Last of Us franchise takes, it seems inevitable that Ellie would go and try finding Dina in an attempt to patch things up. There was a lot of potential in their relationship, and it could have finally given Ellie the chance to build her own family and gain the peace that she deserves.