The scene between Ellie and Maria in season 1 of HBO’s The Last of Us has set up season 2 to explore their aunt-niece relationship in even more depth than the game. After season 1 told the story of the first game from beginning to end, The Last of Us season 2 will start to tackle the enormous nonlinear narrative of The Last of Us Part II. Following on from the ending of the original game, the sequel sees Joel and Ellie moving into Jackson and settling into a somewhat normal civilian life after their treacherous journey across the country.

After a four-year time jump, it’s established that during their time in Jackson, Ellie has grown closer to Joel’s younger brother Tommy and his wife Maria as a surrogate aunt and uncle. Ellie’s relationship with Maria is conveyed in a couple of key scenes in the game, but since the TV show isn’t burdened with getting to the action as quickly as possible, it has an opportunity to flesh out this relationship a lot more — and a crucial scene from season 1 suggests that’s exactly what the showrunners are planning to do.

The Last Of Us Season 1’s Ellie & Maria Scene Has Set Up Season 2 To Explore Their Relationship In More Depth

Season 1 Showed The Ellie & Maria Scene That The Game Skipped

The Last of Us season 1, episode 6, “Kin,” shows the unseen interaction between Ellie and Maria while Joel is talking to Tommy. In the game, when Joel and Ellie find Tommy and his new bride trying to fix a hydroelectric dam just outside Jackson, Maria takes Ellie to get some food while Joel takes Tommy to one side to ask him to take Ellie off his hands. Ellie and Maria aren’t seen again until Joel and Tommy have to race back across the plant to save them from gun-toting raiders.

Ellie later reveals that Maria told her about Joel’s late daughter Sarah, but the game never shows that conversation. The TV show, on the other hand, shows that conversation as Maria cuts Ellie’s hair and warns her against putting her trust in Joel. In The Last of Us Part II, it’s established that Maria has become a sort of maternal figure in Ellie’s life, but it’s only seen in a couple of scenes. Season 1’s Ellie and Maria scene has set up season 2 to explore that relationship in more depth.

Why Maria Is So Important In Ellie’s Life

Maria Is The Only Maternal Figure In Ellie’s Life

Throughout the first game and the first season of the TV show, Joel became a father figure to Ellie and took her under his wing as if she were his own daughter. In the four-year time jump at the beginning of Part II, Ellie grows a lot closer to Tommy, too, as he takes on a similar paternal role as the cool uncle who teaches her how to use a sniper rifle. But what makes Maria so important is that she’s the only motherly figure in Ellie’s life after Tess and Marlene’s deaths (and her own mother’s death, of course).

The Last of Us season 2 is expected to air sometime in the first half of 2025.

The Last of Us season 1 already expanded on Maria’s maternal role as she provided Ellie with the kind of parental guidance that most men aren’t capable of. It’s unlikely that Joel or Tommy could’ve given Ellie a haircut (a fashionable one, anyway) and they definitely wouldn’t have the forethought to give her a menstrual cup like Maria does. Maria is also the most emotionally healthy influence in Ellie’s life. Joel passes on his ineffective means of grief management and Tommy passes on his unstoppable desire for revenge — with Maria’s guidance, Ellie actually has a chance at good mental health.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Has A Perfect Opportunity To Expand Ellie & Maria’s Relationship

Maria Can Help Joel & Ellie Get Settled In Jackson

In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie sees Maria when she’s on her way out on patrol and again when Maria reluctantly allows her to go to Seattle and seek vengeance. Maria also gets Seth away from Ellie after he calls her a homophobic slur in the party flashback. But those are the game’s only opportunities to explore Ellie and Maria’s relationship, because in its original medium, the story was under pressure to dive into the action as soon as possible. Season 2 of the show can spend a lot longer exploring Joel and Ellie’s lives in Jackson.

This presents the perfect opportunity for the TV show to expand on Ellie and Maria’s relationship. As the leader of Jackson, Maria would be heavily involved in getting Joel and Ellie settled once they move in. The Last of Us season 2 can show Ellie and Maria growing closer as Maria sets Ellie up in Joel’s guest house and gets her a job on the farming rotation.