The Last — Of Us 1x9

In the present, Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City. They experience a brief moment of peace feeding a giraffe before being ambushed and knocked unconscious by Firefly soldiers.

Refusing to let Ellie die, Joel goes on a brutal killing spree through the hospital. He kills the lead surgeon, rescues an unconscious Ellie, and eventually executes Marlene in the parking garage to ensure she can never hunt Ellie down again. The Last of Us 1x9

The episode opens with a flashback showing Ellie’s mother, Anna (played by Ashley Johnson, the original game's voice for Ellie), giving birth to Ellie while being bitten by an infected runner. This moment explains Ellie's immunity: the Cordyceps transferred through her umbilical cord, creating a mutated form that blocks further infection. In the present, Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City

Joel wakes in a hospital where Marlene explains that to create a cure, doctors must surgically remove the Cordyceps from Ellie’s brain—a procedure that will kill her. He kills the lead surgeon, rescues an unconscious