The Last Of Us' Vote For Ellie's Revenge Plan Left Me With A Question That Not Even The Stars Themselves Can Agree On

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet returned to The Last of Us’ Jackson via HBO or Max subscription, so be warned and keep those weaponized tissues close.

Despite making a few story-specific changes from the source material, The Last of Us co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (and esteemed director Mark Mylod) delivered one of the most shocking and traumatic episodes of any TV series airing in 2025, culminating in the death of Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller. And then somehow, another new episode emerged — read my live-blog watchalong coverage for “The Path” — taking viewers into the aftermath of the protagonist’s murder.

Watching an in-shock Ellie’s tear-filled terror during the cold open was just as affecting as Bella Ramsey’s emotional performance in the prior episode, and as a viewer, it was all too easy to mentally support the character’s goal of corralling a team to hunt down Abby and get justice for her crimes. (Yes, even knowing the potentially justifiable reasons behind her actions.) But at no point did I expect Tommy and Maria’s city council to approve her request, and the 8-3 vote against wasn’t too surprising.

Interestingly enough, however, the episode isn't strictly clear about exactly who provided the three votes in Ellie's favor. And while Gabriel Luna's Tommy can easily be assumed as one "Yes," the other two are slightly more difficult to nail down. In fact, during a post-screening Q&A for Episode 203 (via Variety), Luna and co-star Isabela Merced shared opposing assumptions about who was and wasn't involved.

When asked, Gabriel Luna shared his take that both Tommy and Maria voted in line with Ellie's wishes, and he isn't sure who offered up the third "Yes" vote. In Luna's mind, it didn't come from Young Mazino's Jesse, despite his fruitful advice to Ellie about how to get people to hear her argument. As the former Ghost Rider portrayer explained that assumption with:

A very interesting declaration, even though this episode in particular delivered a couple of around-the-town moments where Tommy is clearly viewing Jesse as a cross between a boss and a surrogate father. So that writing is pretty much on the wall already, and I can see why Luna thinks Jesse would vote with a mind towards the future, as opposed to the past.

Isabela Merced, whose character Dina is romantically involved with Jesse on a sporadic basis, argued against Gabriel Luna's point, saying it was plainly unclear where the third vote would have come from. And when the Tommy actor shared that Young Mazino told him he'd voted no, Merced amusingly clapped back with this slice of logic:

I do wonder whether or not Mazino's info tidbit actually matters within the context of the scene. Which is to say, Mazino could have literally written "no" on a piece of paper while filming the city council scene, only for it to not technically count towards the scripted 8-3 votings results.

In that respect, it's technically possible for all of the council members to have written whatever they wanted as their votes. Tommy could have written "I'm happy Joel's dead" for all we know. I mean, I'm sincerely hoping he didn't, but it's possible.

Honestly, I wouldn't have gone so far as to automatically assume that Maria would have voted approvingly for Ellie's plan. Since she would have known where Tommy's head was, I'd think she would have opted for the choice to keep the community safe, at least while reconstruction mode was still happening. (Which might be the unfair influence of the game's Maria.)

But however it goes, Ellie may have one or two city council members who are secretly on her side, and could potentially offer a helping hand when it's needed most and expected the least. Not that anyone else sitting behind that table looked anywhere near as capable as Tommy or Maria, but every bit of positivity counts.

Hopefully The Last of Us drops a subtle (or not) reveal for where the third vote came from when new episodes hit HBO and Max every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.