Ellie’s tester turned red, and she was bitten. Is she really infected?
The first episode of HBO’s The Last Of Us does a lot to explain the world and the virus, setting the stage for the story ahead. The show’s first episode sticks closely to the established source material from the game, making some slight additions that add more depth to the story without changing any crucial details.
One of these small details is when we see the Fireflies dealing with a young girl who is changed up, constantly doing tests to test her mind and mental capability. This girl, later revealed to be named Ellie, is also shown to have been bitten by an infected, but the bit is three months old, and she has not changed despite most people changing in less than a day.
*** This Article Contains Spoilers for HBO’s The Last Of Us ***
Is Ellie Infected With The Virus
At the end of the episode, it is shown that the tester for the virus is red, indicating that traces of the virus are located in Ellie. Despite having traces of the virus, Ellie shows the bite mark as being three weeks old and seemingly healing over. Three weeks before, Ellie had been bitten, and the Fireflies noticed she was not turning despite being infected. She was then chained up to make sure the guards were safe if she did turn, and the tests were to test her cognition and mental capabilities, which would usually start to fail as the virus takes over the body.
The Cordyceps virus is stated to take over the mind and body while still leaving the host alive. It is shown that even a single bite from an infected is enough to slowly infect an individual, making Ellie a unique case and clarifying the importance of why the Fireflies are protecting her. In the game the show is based on, it is discovered that Ellie has a mutation on her brain that allows her body to fight off the infection and keep her from turning despite being bitten.
Why Is Ellie’s Immunity Important
After 20 years of the infection spreading and humanity being decimated, Ellie is the first reported person to be immune to the virus. With Ellie being the first, it is possible for the right people to learn what makes her immune and try to use that to help make the rest of the living population also immune.
Joel and Tess are tasked with the goal of getting Ellie to another group of Fireflies outside the city. While the Fireflies are seen, by FEDRA, as a terrorist organization, they intend on using Ellie to learn more about the virus and try to spread immunization and possibly even a cure.
