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Tess went with Joel to help save Ellie in The Last of Us. We knew something would happen along the way, and it happened in Episode 2.

We just knew something had to happen to Tess in The Last of Us. The tagline for the series has been about how Joel takes Ellie across country to save her. There was never a mention of Tess being a prominent part of that journey.

Plus, if you knew the video game, then you knew Tess wasn’t around for that. She dies in the game, and she is the reason Joel decides to keep going west with Ellie. In the series, Tess is there to sacrifice herself and prove to Joel that Ellie is definitely immune to this virus.

How does Tess die in The Last of Us?

The death happened at the end of Episode 2. While passing through a city, the trio come across a group of infected people. They go through a hotel, only to find that there is another type of infected creature. They look the same but they’re blind and reminded me a lot of the creatures of The Descent with the way they use sound to find their way around places.

In a fight, Ellie is bitten and Tess suffers from a sprained ankle. At least, that’s all it looks like for Tess. It’s only when they end up in another building and have infected creatures coming after them that Tess reveals she was bitten and is now infected.

She shows her bite, which is already red and angry looking. Ellie’s bite is nothing. It’s clear that she is immune and Joel needs to get Ellie west to help save the world. Tess will sacrifice herself and kill off more of the infected to give Joel and Ellie the time they need.

She blows herself up along with the infected and the building. That part reminded me a lot of when Ellen and Jo blow up the shop with the hellhounds in Supernatural.

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What did you think of Episode 2 of The Last of Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Last of Us airs Sundays on HBO Max in the U.S. and on Crave in Canada.