Marlene Kills Ellie's Mother - Ashley Johnson Death Scene in The Last of Us Episode 9 HBO

Ashley Johnson Ellie's VA cameo in the newest episode, Troy Baker appear on the previous. The story how Ellie become immune, Marlene taking baby Ellie after her mother get infected.
#TroyBaker #thelastofus #joelmiller

[@shahanahsan05]

Birthing yourself is a new level of amazing 😂 love seeing Ashley everytime

[@mrkaji8913]

Same

[@ricardoortiz4870]

That’s the waitress from The Avengers.

[@Mandyb05]

Now that's true power

[@JnEricsonx]

Try meeting her. :)

[@MNYQaa]

heard someone say she was allowed to "give life to ellie once again" .... i didnt think it like this

[@jelanicornick9215]

when she yelled Marlene, i started crying because THATS ELLIE’S VOICE! so fucking uncanny!!!

[@draggonwarrior42]

I said the same I was so fucking surprised that this was a thing

[@123RADIOactive]

To add even more awesomeness to this, this live action Marlene who killed Ellie’s mom is also the same woman who did the voice of Marlene in the game too.

[@TallMarisa]

Yeah its awesome!!

[@MrRenix1990]

@@123RADIOactiveand also Alyx Vance from Half Life 2!

[@hannarose96]

Being forced to kill your best friend and then hold her newborn in your arms within seconds….hoo boy

[@Bigtos60]

Forced?…

[@javonanthony1224]

@@Bigtos60she didn’t have a choice ? What do you mean by questioning that did you watch the show?

[@aileencho5293]

Like when Carl in the Walking Dead had to shoot his own mother after watching Maggie cut her open to get the baby out that is his sister...

[@legonicktnt]

@@javonanthony1224she was literally begging to be killed, and it was either now, or later as a zombie

[@zerospecs2331]

@@javonanthony1224 People are slow and love to troll. Ignore them.

[@shadowspidey7327]

Great how they got the voice of Ellie herself to play Ellie's mom.

[@ricardoortiz4870]

Wasn’t she that girl from The Avengers?

[@shadowspidey7327]

@@ricardoortiz4870 Oh you mean the Waitress

[@ricardoortiz4870]

@@shadowspidey7327 Of course wdym?

[@David-gj9qr]

Yeah but it throws me off because all I hear is Ellie

[@shadowspidey7327]

@@David-gj9qr IKR I also hear Gwen Tennyson as well

[@neonfox3]

It was really hard dealing with this scene because of Ashley Johnson. It really felt like my Ellie from the game was being executed in front of me. It was hard to separate the two. Oh god, this hurt to watch.

[@canniloni]

yeah, it does really feel like that. and it hurts even more when you think about all the hardships she went through in part II only to essentially die like this

[@ryans413]

It was passing the torch to Bella I really liked this.

[@neonfox3]

@ryans413 that's a good way to put it

[@canniloni]

i've said this in response to someone already, but the people who are calling ashley johnson "the voice of ellie" don't do her role in the last of us justice. she's so much more than that. she partially created the character: the love for comic books, the amazing sense of humor and comedic timing, the fascination with space, the bravery, that's all ashley johnson's impact on the character. the game would have never been what it was without her.

[@sanjanasrivastava1730]

Yes the game would never have been what it's now without Ashley and Ellie would never have been the same if it was not Ashley Johnson. She's a masterpiece as Ellie.

[@sanjanasrivastava1730]

And Also you forgot to mention she gave Ellie her looks...Ellie's appearance was derived from very beautiful Ashley.

[@JoelWalker56]

She also did the motion capture for Ellie.

[@canniloni]

@@JoelWalker56 yeah, i thought that goes without saying, but some people might not not know that either.

[@oregano689]

Facts she is a legend at least to me

[@shahanahsan05]

I RECOGNISED HER GRUNT THE SECOND SHE SHOWED UP to be fair:they are a lot of Grunts in the second game

[@draggonwarrior42]

When I first saw it I thought it was ellie but then I saw the baby 😂

[@TheOriginalDuckley]

She gave him ONE job. “Cover her ears.” The fucks wrong with that guy? lol

[@Bouya_Harumichi]

I guess he's just too stunned with what happened to pay attention what she said

[@EightThreeEight]

Even if she did cover her ears, gunshots are pretty damn loud.

[@dylanridenour769]

Plus it’s not like you want to grip a Fricking newborn’s head. I’m guessing he thought the blanket was enough?

[@meghanbrooks3990]

And she didn’t give him much time.

[@hippo440]

you can still hear a gunshot if your ears are covered. very loudly too.

[@Model_BT-7274]

Hearing Ellie's voice saying these things genuine hurts.

[@5h4p3shift3r]

Here's a medical explanation for the scene : the fungi got into mothers blood stream which means the opsonins and bcells got sensitised to that particular fungal pathogen so the B cells started production of the immunoglobulins (M class) which are short lived and cannot be transferred to the baby/fetus in the womb via placenta. But the other acute response elements like complements and proteins must have lysed/broken few fragments of cordyceps and that must have been transferred via placenta (umbilical cord to the ellie). So technically Ellie received a fragmented cordyceps which wasn't capable of producing infection but generating antibodies Imunoglobin G (long term) was possible. However according to the show runners: Ellie received antibodies from mother. Which is basically impossible because Immunoglobulin G takes time to develop And immunoglobulin M cannot transfer via placenta because of its bigger size. There's not much time shown between the bite and ellie's birth. However if Ellie was breastfed after delivery that would give her Immunoglobulin A. But I don't believe ellie is immune via antibodies it's more like she has a fragmented cordyceps growing inside her. Which makes my former opinion more likely. But that also means her antibodies can't be used as treatment. Conclusion: only ellie is immune. If by chance any one else wants the same immunity they will need to extract cordyceps from ellie's body( which according to show lives inside her brain) and the infect themselves with the same before that they need to fragment it with enzymes / solutions. Hopefully that will make the next person immune also i.e only a single person can be immune at a time

[@robsdianten1]

what a great explanation, thanks!

[@LoneWolf-mh6cw]

Are u an actual scientist? just curious. Preciate the explanation

[@5h4p3shift3r]

@@LoneWolf-mh6cw I am a practicing Doctor CTVS(Cardiothoracic vascular surgeon)

[@5h4p3shift3r]

@j_ellieace that means the whole plot of ellie being upset about Joel killing those fireflies scientists and not letting her to be able to save the world was for nothing.she wouldn't have survived the extraction and that too when there was like one in a million chance to make some the other person immune with extracted cordyceps.Not to mention it couldn't have been turned into some mass production cure as only a single person can be immune at a single time.

[@javonanthony1224]

Beautiful explanation thankyou

[@mrx4022]

Ellie, I'm going to share a secret with you, I'm not a big fan of kids and I hate babies. And yet... I'm staring at you and I'm just awestruck. You're not even a day old and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life - a life that is about to get cut a little short. Marlene will look after you. There's no one in this world I trust more than her. When the time comes she'll tell you all about me. Don't give her too much of a hard time. Try not to be as stubborn as me. I'm not going to lie, this is a pretty messed up world. It won't be easy. The thing you always have to remember is that, life is worth living! Find your purpose and fight for it. I see so much strength in you. I know you'll turn out to be the woman you're meant to be. Forever... your loving mother Anna Make me proud, Ellie!

[@simpfelicity2024]

😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@pinkiepiecupcake7779]

Ellie: I’m trying to make you proud

[@Mandyb05]

Is there ever an explanation of Ellie's dad for people like me who who've not yet played the game?

[@madikeraisland3927]

​@@Mandyb05 No, they don't talk about her dad in the game either

[@PedroLucas-mg5je]

Ellie is surely rereading this letter like there's no tomorrow after the events of TLOU Part 2...😢

[@JadedKid47]

That shot of Ellie's mom laying down baby Ellie and putting a switchblade on her. Like, damn, that's just the life that she was born into man.

[@chrisuchiha1393]

The fact that "Unbroken" was playing in the background on their last conversation was a nice touch. So emotional to hear this OST in this moment.

[@brandonrust4114]

Ashley fucking Johnson, man. The way she delivers lines is just such a masterclass. This scene makes me cry, and it's mostly because Ashley is so damn good. Let alone the symbolism of OG Ellie giving birth to TV Ellie. Ashley totally sells the lovestruck, awestruck feeling of holding your child for the first time, and she sells the absolute tragedy of knowing she'll never get to know Ellie. As a parent, my greatest fear is something happening to me and my son wondering why daddy isn't there. But I also know the feeling of loving so fully that I'll do anything to keep them safe. It's a beautiful and terrifying paradox that Ashley captures beautifully.

[@spoonrock]

Omg all I could hear was Ellie from the game when Ashley was groaning…omg..

[@ricardoortiz4870]

Wasn’t Ashley in The Avengers?

[@spoonrock]

@@ricardoortiz4870 ya for a couple of minutes

[@ricardoortiz4870]

@@spoonrock I knew she looked familiar.

[@spoonrock]

@@ricardoortiz4870 lol

[@ricardoortiz4870]

@@spoonrock What do you mean lol? I did noticed that the first time I see her in Last of Us.

[@Blubberbooi]

Ashley is SUCH a good actress 💔💔💔

[@JnEricsonx]

Happy I met her.

[@MageOtter27]

@thequeenahriYou know that she is 40 years old right? How in the world do you see her playing a 14 year old teenager?

[@Universemasterj]

@@MageOtter27because she’s an amazing actor

[@MageOtter27]

@@Universemasterj i know she is bruh. You didnt see what the other dude said cuz he deleted his comment

[@SweetNightmares_]

The way she just charges in the room, like it’s another job needing to be finished. AND HE DID NOT COVER HER EARS

[@roryqpotter8242]

For those who don’t know, the song played in this scene is from the opening title sequence of part 2

[@ryans413]

The whole show had music from the second game

[@chrisuchiha1393]

Loved it. "Unbroken" was a good OST to hear for their "Last" Conversation.

[@lucask4377]

I regognised it immediately

[@JSpyx]

"How long have we known each other" .... an eternity.

[@recel9598]

“Cover her ears” *does not cover her ears*

[@gabybop]

That poor boy who tested positive in the intro may have been just like Ellie, immune and no one knew. 😢

[@KidAstronaut]

That kid looked pretty jacked up though.

[@BlueberryCheesecake8]

@@KidAstronauthe also had symptoms already, no? His hand was twitching I think.

[@jaysax7381]

@@BlueberryCheesecake8I don’t believe he was? I think he just seemed rough because he had been walking forever

[@dustytransitor866]

This show made the best possible adaption imo. People wanted a movie, but it could never do justice.

[@paristmo]

She deserves all the lead roles in movies and TV shows. Such an outstanding acting!

[@ndjoker34]

This awesome!!!! The voice of ellie herself in the flesh! I don't think there was a better actress to play ellies mom.

[@ammdakin]

Him not covering her ears always bothers me 😂 like... You had one job, my guy.

[@raicrush]

Okay but Ashley Johnson and Dakota Johnson look like they could be sisters. How are they not related? 😂

[@AntonioMartinez-gv4ng]

She really put that cold ass knife on that baby RIP Ellie Sr. (2013-2023)

[@katiebonser9712]

I absolutely love Ashley Johnson, she has a beautiful voice

[@Jared-kn8sf]

I thought this was brilliant. Ashley did so good

[@Izzyfizzyyyy]

Who thinks that that’s the house that Ellie and Dina are going to live in

[@mczay9515]

Ellie and babby Ellie

[@Johan-li8jf]

Why she was pointing herself with a knife ? To kill herself when she started to transform ?

[@henrykchrapowicki3599]

Yes

[@simpayshenaides]

​@@henrykchrapowicki3599 so the mother is not immune?

[@Gabriel-Tár]

@@simpayshenaides the mother is not immune. Ellie is the first immune person known to humanity, she was born in this unlikely and “perfect” situation where the cordyceps was transmitted to her indirectly through the umbilical cord. If Anna was bitten too early, both her and Ellie would’ve died, but she was bit at the perfect moment because Ellie was already born and well but she was still linked to her mother’s blood through the umbilical cord. Ellie was sorta “vaccinated” at birth by accident

[@simpayshenaides]

@@Gabriel-Tár thanks for the info, i thought the mother is immune same of course as her daughter genetically

[@Model_BT-7274]

​@@simpayshenaidesi mean, she could be. We'll never know sincs she was killed.

[@mooncookies7803]

ellie birthing ellie is crazy

[@dahliabanks7562]

Lollll

[@xenjanobody2097]

It’s so good to see that both Ashley and Laura were put in the live action shows, they both are so great and have been apart of my childhood shows since I was a kid!

[@reeseylover80]

Can't imagine how hard that must have been to kill your best friend and take their baby. She could have at least given ellie to a family that could care for her instead of just dropping her off somewhere

[@AW-sh1ce]

Marlene: "Cover her ears."

[@izzylovescatsxp3759]

The transition between baby ellie and ellie is heartbreaking... Gosh this scene is so amazing, like Game ellie giving birth to show ellie 😢...♡♡♡♡

[@ManImTheVoid]

Why does Ellie's mother in this show look more like Ellie from the game than Ellie herself?

[@teddyastronaut]

Because she is the voice actor of ellie in the game.

[@ManImTheVoid]

@@teddyastronaut I see but I also find it funny that she looks like she really would be the mother of the live action ellie lol.

[@gracemilligan4841]

They also did mo caps in the game of Ashley Johnson so it was supposed to look like her too

[@sammieplayerone]

​@thecreaturecalledpete1511 Ashley Johnson did the mo cap for ellie in the first game and the second and she's also the voice. So, she basically is Ellie😊

[@adamw116]

Such a great choice for Bella's mother Johnson, and a very underused actress in my opinion. The oval faces defenitely match.The last thing saw her in was that weird panel thing where they joke around about D&D. Why does she always seem to only get small parts? Were talking about a pretty consistent actress since she was a child. Somebody needs to cast her in something steady and meaty. The last thing I remember her being a cast member of was that Jamie Alexander show as the lab doctor.

[@shahanahsan05]

Yk that they only got her cuz she voiced the actual character right?

[@dr.philigan7148]

I mean she plays the original Ellie in the games, so it only makes sense.

[@Model_BT-7274]

Video game actors are EXTREMELY overlooked. Ashley's acting in TLOU 2 was some of the best ive seen in any piece of media. If it were a movie, she'd be in everything by now. Same with the performances in RDR2. Roger Clark KILLED it as Arthur, yet he is only in small roles. Its so unfair.

[@matthewlasalvia7026]

Why doesn’t Ashley Johnson do more screen acting? She’s freakin amazing in this scene!

[@adequatebus8280]

That's some deep, woman to woman shit right there. -C

[@justindoud8842]

Only dawning on me now. She lied to Marlene about cutting the cord before the infection. I guess that must be the reason why Elle‘s immune.

[@Capex567]

They were originally gonna have a dlc revolving around Ellie’s mother but which would have a similar scenario but they scraped that

[@Chuck_vs._The_Comment_Section]

If she had cut the umbilical cord after being bitten, there would have been an explanation for her immunity.

[@blakebranwen6734]

She did cut it after, at least I think that’s what her semi-panicked insistence implies. I think she was so determined to get Marlene to believe that because she didn’t want her to kill Ellie on the chance that she’d turn. S’what I think anyways!

[@davidsmith7962]

That’s so cool. Ashley played Ellie’s mom.

[@JDRos]

Imagine if Troy gave birth to Joel on Ep1

[@vernon_da_god8206]

Didn't Ellie's mom give her a letter along with her knife. What happened to the letter?

[@Little.Twillight]

Imagine if this scene was TLOU Part III ending, especially with Ellie original voice actor.

[@2Good2BeTrue45]

Literally you can imagine Ellie as a mom in Last of Us part 3 because of Ashley Johnson's performance here.

[@dollyl5596]

Those are Ellie and Marlene’s voice actors

[@hsd287]

It's so sad seeing this conversation between Ellie and Marlene ... No wonder Marlene was worried about giving up Ellie for the cure 😢❤

[@tiffanysalling4272]

I literally felt my heart stop with that gun shot. Ashley is amazing she did a wonderful job. Great talent.

[@waalex11]

Ashley was awesome. What a great role she was given. I wish Troy had the same treatment though...

[@David-gj9qr]

Throws me off because all I hear is Ellie

[@ernieyusoon8170]

Sometimes I still don't understand why Marlene didn't just adopt Ellie as her daughter instead of placing her in FEDRA school.

[@jessicaconner1242]

How long have we known each other? Me knowing that’s the original voice actor in the first game

[@XAVR_]

Both games!

[@CountryBuff08]

I remember watching this and thinking, "She sounds and looks like Ellie. Man, she really resembles Ellie. Oh, wait." lol.

[@KomeylKarimi-dp3ve]

they should use her for season 3 cause she's too good for big grow ellie ... and i'm so sad for that she played a sad scene of this tv show and who was play as ellie in game and she deserve that to playing as ellie again and i know they do not let this happen😢

[@yejikun]

Man the amount of sacrifices in this show/game that has been shown is amazing, Ellie was just born and the first thing that touched her skin (besides her mom ofc) is a knife. She’s destined to be a fighter since she was born.

[@visayanpeep2240]

“Birthing yourself” literally HAHAHAHAHA

[@draggonwarrior42]

That mf did not in fact cover her ears😂

[@Matthew_Cordle]

Ellie birthed Ellie. Circa 2023

[@Scoops.Troop16]

2:13 sounded sm like ellie it hurts

[@oohjolyjoly]

i remember first time watching this, i was sobbing because of ashley

[@sugar-free-2centz]

What an excellent casting--really looks like she could be her mom

[@canniloni]

yeah, good thing they cast her 13 years ago hahah, it had little to do with her looking like bella ramsey

[@strikemate8057]

I can’t even concentrate this scene hearing Ellie’s voice in from the game

[@ricardoortiz4870]

Wasn’t she that girl from The Avengers?

[@KhepriProductions2022]

Yes

[@ricardoortiz4870]

@@KhepriProductions2022 I knew she looked familiar.

[@shahanahsan05]

She voiced Ellie too

[@ricardoortiz4870]

@@shahanahsan05 That I didn’t know cuz of the mocap

[@Tyler-dh6qx]

I knkw who u talking about Maria hill and it the actor but i do get what u mean

[@Jearper]

this scene is fucking heart wrenching man

[@eliaspieters1531]

It is her original voice

[@idkdc2615]

She's so beautiful, and so clever making her voice actress her mother lmao

[@samittimamitti08]

sooo marlene is played by marlene and Ellie's mom is played by Ellie... cool!

[@summer-roseknight]

Even though she’s playing her mother in the series, all I can hear is Ellie crying and begging for Marlene to kill her. Which is weirdly poetic because Marlene ended up dying BECAUSE of her.

[@manavsarkar7219]

The resemblance between them is insane

[@SStealthbomb]

Thought Ellie’s mother looked familiar😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 giving birth to yourself

[@ellezelizard8177]

When i was watching this episode i went "wow she sounds like Ellie" "Wait it is Ellie" xD

[@Chuck_vs._The_Comment_Section]

A gruesome thought comes to mind: What if Ellie's mother was also immune and she was killed for nothing?

[@waalex11]

One of the few great original scenes from the subpar TV series compared to the original.

[@wickedajc1138]

I can't blame her I would not want to be turned into one of those things.

[@Wongsquared]

Bella may not look a lot like Ellie but she does look like she could be Ashley's daughter.

[@zawarshah8335]

Predestination movie flashbacks

[@ryanbrets7695]

Thank god for Ashley Johnsons voice acting. Part 1 wouldn't of been a masterpiece without it.

[@MegatronRacing237]

Predestination vibes. Ellie just birthed Ellie.

[@kamikazestryker]

I really loved that scene. I mean that Ashley Johnson got to be the mother, not that she died to soon.... ^^

[@nawee6801]

I remember she was bit while giving birth but then she says she cut it before... Did she lie? Im confused. Can anyone clarify please?

[@00kat00]

Yes, it is clearly a lie as the opposite was shown in the birth scene. I haven’t watched the show but I’d imagine it was because if Marlene thought there was a possibility of Ellie having been infected she would have left her or killed her as well

[@mamatmag]

I know it wasn't the focus of the scene but, was her bite infected? It had been a while and it didn't look like other bites. Could she have been immune too?

[@marcdumont2275]

Guy didn't cover her fucking ears...

[@Skyebright1]

Seriously she could’ve gone deaf

[@junksies2154]

kinda poetic how she shoot’s ellie in the head than joel shoot’s marlene in the head

[@Darkdevil9068]

Bruh the way she speed walk to her is like she wanted to kill her... 2:42

[@fanesz8864]

She wanna make it fast because it's hard for her

[@williambirkin7960]

Marlene kills Ellie after Ellie give birth to Ellie

[@ryans413]

Love this Ellie is immune from the infection because Ana got bit just before she gave birth. So Ellie’s body sees it as part of her that’s very interesting.

[@lampham5525]

Ellie from the game killed the pregnant woman, and in TV show she became the pregnant woman and get killed too

[@DirectlyHere]

Why did she say that she couldn't take Ellie btw? Was it because she didn't trust Anna? (which she shouldn't she lied) but still??

[@rosesweetcharlotte]

Marlene was deep into the Fireflies, which, in some ways, was verging on a cult. And yeah, no one wants to kill an infected baby

[@flickerpulse7]

Hello? "Cover her ears?"

[@B0y3000]

Ellie gave birth to herself

[@TopsidesCinecade]

Really wish this was something in the actual game, especially for the Part I version. This is honestly more emotionally impactful for the Joel/Abby Parallel than retconning the doctor to be Abby’s dad is (at least by itself). Like honestly, especially with this scene in mind, consider how bullshit The Last of Us is from Marlene’s perspective. You take your close friend’s infant daughter and mercy kill her after being entrusted with her care. So many years later you’re put into a position where you have to then shuffle her along to some business associates you barely trust enough with her care, and by God they’re crazy enough to make it through a cross country journey alive to finally make a cure for the outbreak. But upon this child’s arrival you find out the cure comes at the cost of her life. You then have a massive crisis of conscience on what you should do, even when you finally make the gut wrenching decision to end her life you haven’t really decided it, you just want it to happen quickly before you can change your mind. But against all fucking odds this business associate goes completely Looney Tunes and slaughters everyone around you because he suddenly decided he has a strong emotional connection to the child. It’s honestly just as rage inducing as some random nobody deciding to go golfing with Joel.

[@norahmcconahay]

this is so weird because it’s literally ellie’s voice

[@TallMarisa]

Thats just epic 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@alanluscombe8a553]

Man. That would suck so bad

[@darreneubanks3863]

Love this damn game/show👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@saraheveraarts7937]

Fun fact, Marlene's actor played the same character in the game

[@johnballard9026]

Ellie gives birth to Ellie