The Last of Us 2 is a triumph in emotive storytelling, exploring the darker side of Ellie and forcing us to face some uncomfortable situations as a result. But all that build up would be worth very little if Naughty Dog didn’t stick the landing when it came to The Last of Us 2 – fortunately, it absolutely did.
The Last of Us 2 gave us the closure we needed after embarking on a 30-hour adventure full of twists, turns and plenty of bloody violence, but the ending has many threads to dissect. So we’re going to take a look at how the phenomenal sequel ended, what it means for the characters involved and the questions that have gone unanswered.
Be warned, there are major spoilers for The Last of Us 2 ahead. So proceed with caution.
The Last of Us 2 ending: what happened
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
The ending sequence of The Last of Us 2 really begins following Ellie and Abbey’s fight in the theatre. Abbey, having overpowered a vengeful Ellie, leaves her counterpart alive but tells her that she never wants to see her face again.
We then cut to 18 months later. Ellie and Dina reside in the big country house they had always dreamed of, complete with vegetable allotments and a flock of sheep. Dina has given birth to a baby boy called JJ (named after Joel and Jesse) and the pair are raising him in what appears on the surface to be the perfect family dynamic given the post-apocalyptic state of the world.
However, it becomes evident that Ellie is suffering from PTSD in the aftermath of Joel’s death. Despite appearing to have moved on, Ellie can’t sleep and suffers flashbacks to her ordeal. After all, she never truly got her revenge.
Things come to a head when Joel’s brother Tommy shows up at the house, telling Ellie and Dina that he has located Abbey, and berating Ellie when the couple tell him that they’ve moved on. But Ellie hasn’t moved on and she later decides to follow the lead, in a final attempt to avenge Joel’s death. Despite Dina telling her that she won’t put herself or JJ through this ordeal again, Ellie sets off for Santa Barbara, where Abbey is apparently living on an abandoned ship on the shore.
Meanwhile Abbey and Lev who, following the lead given to them by Owen before his death, are in search of the Fireflies in a suburb in Santa Barbara. The pair have now developed a relationship akin to that of Ellie and Joel’s: the grizzled adult and the smart-mouthed teen. While Ellie seems haunted by what happened years before, Abbey and Lev have let go, in search of a better future.
However, while it seems that Fireflies have been residing in the house that Abbey’s tip has led them to, they’re long gone, and the pair are captured by a group called the Rattlers and taken hostage.
We then cut back to Ellie, who has arrived in sun-kissed Santa Barbara several months later. Hot on the heels of Abbey and Lev, Ellie is soon caught in a Rattler trap, before breaking free and forcing her captors to tell her where Abbey is. Despite being badly wounded, she breaks into the Rattlers compound, picking them off one-by-one, in search of Abbey only to discover that, following an escape attempt, the pair have been strung up on some pillars on the beach – left to die.
Ellie makes her way to the beach and finds a much weaker Abbey than she previously encountered. Gone is Abbey’s long plait and muscley figure, and instead we see a thinner woman with all her hair cut off. She’s almost unrecognisable from the warrior we once knew.
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
Feeling empathy for her nemesis, and perhaps wanting to be the one who is responsible for Abbey’s death, Ellie frees Lev and Abbey, escorting them to some nearby boats. But, as Abbey and Lev are about to make their escape, Ellie decides she’s not going to let her closure go that easily and forces Abbey into a final fight.
It’s an uncomfortable and violent affair, both Abbey and Ellie are broken by their desire for revenge – their vendettas have taken over their lives and and cost them those that they love. Eventually, Ellie gets the upperhand on Abbey and begins to drown her, before a flashback of Joel sees her letting go – of both Abbey and the revenge mission that has cost her everything.
As Ellie breaks down in tears on the beach, Abbey sails off with Lev.
When Ellie finally returns home, she finds that Dina and JJ are gone. All that is left in their family home is Ellie’s artwork, some records and the guitar Joel gave her – which she can no longer play as Abbey bit off some of her fingers during their final fight. Ellie grabs her backpack, leaves behind the guitar and her other possessions, and heads leaves.
The Last of Us 2 ending: what does it mean?
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
The Last of Us 2’s ending is a hard pill to swallow. Throughout the game, our perception of Ellie shifts somewhat as we begin to empathize more with Abbey. After all, the parallels between the two characters become increasingly clearer and both women are simply fighting to avenge someone they love.
However, Abbey grows throughout the game, developing a bond with Lev despite their tribal differences, refusing to let Owen make her his mistress and showing mercy to Ellie. Abbey lets go of her revenge mission and gains more than she ever had previously – her power is in her ability to let go.
On the other hand, Ellie is blinded by her vendetta, and feels she will never truly get closer until her avenges Joel’s death. She is wrapped up in her own guilt about how her relationship with Joel ended, the part she played in his death and the sheer grief of the traumatic situation she endured. But, despite having built a somewhat idyllic life that was paving the way for a brighter future, she didn’t know when to let go. As a result, Ellie lost everything.
Not only did she lose her own sense of self, she lost the family she had built in Jackson and the picture-perfect life she had built with Dina. She even lost the ability to play guitar, something which helps her feel connected with Joel.
The Last of Us 2 ending: unanswered questions
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)
The Last of Us 2’s ending is heartbreaking and poignant. But while many loose ends are tied up in a neat little bow, we still have some questions.
For a start, where is Ellie heading off to? And what’s her plan next? We could see our broken protagonist heading back to Jackson to try and rebuild or perhaps even sentencing herself to a lonesome life on the road. We’re hoping she’s going to track down Dina and JJ to beg forgiveness. Dina could have headed back to Jackson but that seems a bit too easy – we’re just hoping they’ll be reunited once more.
However, given that a lot of the game is played as Abbey, have we perhaps seen the last of Ellie? It could be that future The Last of Us games focus on Abbey from here on. After all, we don’t know where Abbey and Lev are heading to following their escape. The assumption is that the pair are going to hunt down the reformed Fireflies, wherever they may be. Because, despite the Rattlers disrupting their communication, it seems like Owen’s tip was legit.
Regardless of who we will be playing, it looks like a potential The Last of Us 3 will focus on the reformed Fireflies. But don’t expect any news on that anytime soon as Naughty Dog hasn’t confirmed if there will be another entry in the series – plus we all need time to recover from the sequel…
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
