Ellie's epilogue in The Last of Us Part 2 is a seemingly bleak ending to the dark saga. By the time Ellie reaches the farm for the final scene, players will have invested many hours in helping Ellie on her journey to avenge Joel only to be met with her wandering alone throughout a home that was once filled with warmth and laughter but is now desolate, alluding to the fact that the seemingly only chance she had at a life with any resemblance of normalcy was lost. It appears to be a broken ending for a broken girl, although some fans would disagree.
At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much room for interpretation when it comes to the ending. Ellie arrives at her former home, wandering through the empty rooms before settling in to play the guitar that once belonged to Joel. The scene fades to black, and the current timeline is over. If not examined closely, one may miss the signs that not everything is as it seems. While Ellie is indeed alone and the home is empty there are multiple indicators that she may have already visited Dina.
Earlier in the game Dina gifts her bracelet to Ellie as a good luck charm before Ellie heads off on her own in search of Abby. Later on in the story the bracelet is missing from Ellie's ensemble, and no context is given as to why. As a player, this is a minor detail that doesn't seem to have any significant impact on the story until Ellie returns to the home she once shared with Dina and JJ with said bracelet returned to her wrist.
This detail alone presents a compelling argument that Ellie has potentially reunited with Dina before visiting her old home. But as many fans have pointed out, this is not the only indication. In addition to the bracelet, the wounds on Ellie's fingers resulting from her final fight with Abby appear to have healed faster than the pacing would suggest, her weapons are gone, and there is no sign of surprise on her face when she enters the empty home. It seems as if more time may have passed than we previously thought.
If this is indeed the case and Ellie has already reconnected with Dina prior to visiting her old home, the once bleak and bitter ending could, in fact, be the complete opposite. Throughout both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2, we are confronted with the question of "How far would you go for the ones you love?" The answer seems to be much further than anyone would care to admit. In a fit of rage, Ellie loses herself in her journey to avenge Joel. If we base our understanding of the stories end solely on the closing scene in question and dismiss the subtle signs pointed out by fans, it seems that she has given up all hope of a relationship with Dina and her surrogate son JJ in exchange for her revenge. However, when we take into account the details highlighted by fans, it shows the player that despite all the pain Ellie has endured she might have achieved the closure she so desperately needed and opened a new door with Dina in the process. This changes the entire tone of the game leaving fans in support of this theory with a much brighter outlook on Ellie’s future than those that took the ending at face value.