Are the Rattlers REALLY the Fireflies? - The Last of Us Part 2 Analysis

I’m pretty convinced that not only are the Fireflies real - BUT that ending scene is Catalina island and Abby Lev have found their new home - thoughts?

Druckmann said in an interview with Kinda Funny that the ending title screen is Catalina Island and it's implied she and Lev made it.

When you first start playing as Abby in Santa Barbara looking for the address, Lev mentioned how they were there the previous week. So it seems like Abby and Lev were in the area for quite awhile and the Rattlers just tracked them down.

Lived in Santa Barbara, the round building is the music conservatory next to butterfly beach.

I can’t imagine how is that for those people who live in locations mentioned in game to see their neighbourhood and saying: shiiiit man, that’s the alley I used to go through every day on my way to school!!! etc

"Led by fat Geralt." Gave me a good chuckle 😁

It’s 100% the fireflies, I live like 4 cities away from Santa Barbara and we went to Catalina several times. That dome building is identical

"Santa Barbara content got trimmed." I thought so! It really felt like we were going to go do another Seattle-worth of content on Santa Barbara. There were new enemies, new environment, new faction, new offensive concept (release the infected). It just felt like there was going to be more to it than "go to the cylindrical building, shoot a bunch of guys, and then fight Abby, game end."

Wow, great research. I think 99.9% of players thought the domed building mentioned by the guy on the radio and the rattlers building were the same. I thought so too. So you enjoyed the game, right?

It’s been confirmed by Neil that the title screen at the end is Catalina Island.

Wasn't there a note that Ellie found in Santa Barbara about a straggler that escaped the rattlers. I recall her saying her husband died picking tomatoes and that she'll be back with friends, could very well be fireflies.

"If I ever were to lose you, I'd surely lose myself." Ellie lose herself by taking revenge, losing her 2 fingers, losing her ability to play the guitar. And Ellie losing Joel. The song already told us what's about to happen to Ellie in the beginning of the game.

i'm very happy to see that abby and lev made it to safety. i hated having to play as her at the beginning but the narrative parallel to joel and ellie in that final scene of both games of being carried away to safety is so harrowing. i hate watching the cinematic of them getting caught by the rattlers. its very chilling. and we can all agree that slavery is one of the worst fates a person can end up in.

I’d like to think Abby and Lev made it and are enjoying age-appropriate drinks at the Catalina Wine Mixer

I think it was intentionally misleading to drive narrative ambiguity

In regards to the nihilism of the game: If the building shown on the new game+ screen is a different building than the rattlesnake den and is in fact the casino on Catalina Island the implications for a Part 3 (or at least DLC) may change my whole perception of the themes of the story. If the Fireflies are based in that casino (and the well-kept flags indicate upkeep) then the game ends on a very optimistic note. Ellie may still have something of a dark road ahead of her but Lev & Abby might have found home. This would give plenty of opportunities for the characters to be brought back together in a way that gives resolution for all their stories. A tease for Part 3 could be right in front of us.

Also, before entering the garage, we can see some logos painted on walls and trucks, that looks like the rattlers logo. If this trap was set by them, I think they would try to hide that they were there

When I first got to this scene, my first impression was that it was a trap.. But the way the rattlers operate, it doesn't seem plausible they'd set a trap like that. My theory; the game has been left open for a 3rd game but may not happen for some time. Neil Druckman has said he can't see a reason yet to make a 3rd one. But with Abbey in the fireflies, maybe they'll come after Ellie and try creating that vaccine finally? It would tie up the story nicely, with the world finally finding a cure..

I can see the fireflies actually regrouping. Even without the cure, Fedra is still one of their active enemies they want to defeat.

Pretty convincing theory. The only thing I'm wondering is why the Firefly on the radio didn't warn Abby about all the Rattlers walking around in the area