“The Last of Us ”Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby?

"The Last of Us "Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby?

Liane Hentscher/HBO The Last of Usseason 2 finale aired on May 25 Season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger involving Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) The Last of Uswas renewed for a season 3 in April 2025 After seven episodes of twists and turns,The Last of Usseason 2 may have just ended with its most jaw-dropping cliffhanger of all. The second installment of HBO's hit post-apocalyptic series wrapped up with a shocking finale on May 25. Co-creatorsCraig MazinandNeil Druckmannhad previously warned audiences that the events ofThe Last of Us: Part IIwould span more than one season, with the show getting renewed for a third iteration in April. Season 2 ended with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally coming face-to-face with Joel's (Pedro Pascal) killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). This was after a long and harrowing search for her in Seattle alongside Dina (Isabela Merced), and eventually, Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna) and Jesse (Young Mazino), who came to their rescue. Ultimately, Ellie's desperate quest to avenge Joel led to another shocking death and no clear resolution heading into season 3. Here's everything to know about the ending ofThe Last of Usseason 2, including who dies in the finale's final minutes. Warning:The Last of Usseason 2 spoilers ahead! Liane Hentscher/HBO The Last of Usseason 2 finale unfolded over the course of 50 minutes, opening with Jesse trying to save Dina's life after she'd been shot in the leg with a Seraphite arrow. With Dina patched up and on the mend, Ellie and Jesse set out to meet up with Tommy — but something is nagging at Jesse, who presses Ellie to spill the news that Dina is pregnant. The pair arrives at the rendezvous point, only to discover that Tommy isn't there. While waiting for him to return, they hear commotion on the radio about a sniper — who they assume is Tommy — and head out to find him. After hearing chatter on the radio about the Seattle aquarium, Ellie realizes that Nora (Tati Gabrielle) hinted that Abby was hiding out there. With Jesse wanting to find Tommy, and Ellie hellbent on hunting down Abby, the two go their separate ways. Ellie finds a small fishing boat to take her across the water to the aquarium. However, her plan is derailed when she gets tossed off her boat by a storm surge and washes up on a shore guarded by Seraphites. Members of the religious cult nearly kill her — but are derailed by the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F.)'s siege on their village. Ellie escapes on her boat. When Ellie finally reaches the aquarium, she finds Abby's friends, Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord). Ellie demands to know where Abby is, then kills Owen when he pulls a gun on her. Mel, who is pregnant, gets hurt in the crossfire and asks Ellie to save her baby. Ellie can't perform a C-section in time, and that's when Tommy and Jesse arrive. The trio returns to the theater, where Dina is hiding out. Ellie, traumatized from the events of that night, agrees to call off her revenge quest and return to Jackson with the group. While Tommy packs the gear, Jesse and Ellie have a heart-to-heart conversation before they hear the muffled sounds of Tommy being attacked. They run to his rescue, and Abby shoots Jesse in the head before he can defend himself. Ellie quickly hides and pleads for Abby to let Tommy go. After tossing her gun, Ellie admits to killing Mel and Owen. "I let you live and you wasted it," Abby says, before pointing her gun at Ellie and firing. The screen cuts to black — then fades into Abby waking up days prior. It's revealed that she's in a football arena that has been converted into W.L.F. barracks. After a season of ups and downs, ending on this particular cliffhanger felt "natural," Druckmann said in a finale press conference. "We entertain everything, but no [other endings are] coming to mind, because whatever we entertained didn't stick for very long," he said. "This always felt like the natural end point for the season." Liane Hentscher/HBO It's unclear if Abby or Ellie dies inThe Last of Usseason 2 finale. In the final seconds of the episode, Abby raises her gun to shoot Ellie, but then the screen cuts to black. Only the sound of a gun firing can be heard. Viewers are left to wonder if Abby kills Ellie — or if Dina, who isn't present in the final scene, comes to Ellie and Tommy's rescue and kills Abby. Liane Hentscher/HBO In the season 2 finale, Ellie tells Dina the truth about what happened to her and Joel in Salt Lake City. She explains that Joel killed the Fireflies after he learned of their plan to operate on Ellie to find a cure — a surgery that she wouldn't have survived. Ellie goes on to reveal that Abby's father was the surgeon who Joel shot in the head. Dina is betrayed by the news and demands to return home to Jackson. Moments later, Dina gives Ellie a bracelet for good luck before she and Jesse leave to find Tommy. This gesture seems to suggest that she still has hope for her relationship with Ellie. Liane Hentscher/HBO Abby shoots Jesse in the head at the end of season 2. He's the only character viewers know for certain is dead before the episode cuts to black. Tommy is injured but still alive at the end of season 2. Jesse dies this way in the game — and according to Druckmann, his "fate was always sealed." But now, Dina and Ellie's relationship will become a whole lot more complicated. "Jesse dies in part because of Ellie — but Ellie doesn't pull the trigger, Abby does," Mazin added. "[Dina] has gone in pursuit of Abby, out of a sense of justice. So now the question is: Who does she blame?" Liane Hentscher/HBO HBO renewedThe Last of Usfor a third season in April 2025 — just days before season 2 premiered, perVariety. In May 2025,Catherine O'Hara— who plays therapist Gail Lynden in the series — toldVarietythat the season 3 plot will largely follow "the Abby story" as she navigates life in the W.L.F. The third installment does not yet have a premiere date. Read the original article onPeople

byRobert Mejias

in

May 25, 2025

“The Last of Us ”Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby?

"The Last of Us "Season 2 Ending, Explained: What Happened Between Ellie and Abby? Liane Hentscher/HBO The Last of Usseason 2 fina...

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‘The Last of Us’ Star Bella Ramsey on the Hardest Part of the ‘Crazy’ Season Finale and What the Big Twist Means For Season 3

'The Last of Us' Star Bella Ramsey on the Hardest Part of the 'Crazy' Season Finale and What the Big Twist Means For Season 3

SPOILER ALERT:This story discusses major plot developments, including the ending, in the Season 2 finale of "The Last of Us," currently airing on HBO and streaming on the service known at present as Max. The final scenes of Season 2 of "The Last of Us" are as intense as the show has ever been, and that really is saying something. On her third day in Seattle, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) attempts to pilot a tiny dinghy across Seattle harbor in a driving thunderstorm to get to the pier-side aquarium where she believes Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the woman who killed her father Joel (Pedro Pascal), is located. Instead, a massive wave washes Ellie into the territory of the Seraphites, a.k.a. the Scars, a violent religious sect who string up and disembowel anyone they believe to be an enemy. That's exactly what they almost do to Ellie, until she's saved when the Seattle militia the Washington Liberation Front (or WLF) launch a nighttime sneak attack on the Scars' main encampment, and they abandon Ellie to defend their home. More from Variety 'The Last of Us' Star Young Mazino on Jesse's 'Captain Wyoming' Mentality and That Shocking Finale How Queer Love Grounds 'The Last of Us' Above All Else - Despite The Online Backlash Catherine O'Hara on Her Scene-Stealing 'The Last of Us' Character, Why Pedro Pascal Is Like Meryl Streep and Catching COVID While Making 'The Studio' Then, after she breaks free from the noose, Ellie gets back into the boat and finally reaches the aquarium as a giant explosion erupts in the Scar territory behind her. But Abby isn't there. Instead, Ellie finds Abby's friends Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer); she holds them at gunpoint and demands they show her where Abby really is. Owen tries to shoot back. Ellie fires and kills him, and Mel is shot in the neck in the crossfire — at which point, Ellie realizes Mel is pregnant. As Mel bleeds out, she begs Ellie to cut her fetus from her womb. But Ellie has no idea how, and sits in helpless agony at Mel's side as she dies. Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Jesse (Young Mazino), who've tracked Ellie to the aquarium, bring her back to the abandoned theater where Ellie's girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced) has been recuperating. They agree on a route home to Jackson, and Tommy leaves Ellie and Jesse in the theater to start packing up in the lobby. Suddenly, there's a loud thump. Ellie and Jesse race out of the theater, and Jesse is immediatelyshot in the head and killed. Ellie takes cover and sees a gun to Tommy's head. She hears a voice, demanding she stand up. It's Abby. For the first timesince Joel's death, Ellie and Abby are face to face. Ellie tells Abby she killed Abby's friends and pleads for Abby to let Tommy go. "I let youlive," Abby says, filled with fury. "And you wasted it." She aims her gun at Ellie, Ellie screams, Abby shoots, and the screen cuts to black. Suddenly, we cut to Abby asleep on a couch. Her other WLF compatriot, Manny (Danny Ramirez), wakes her up and tells her WLF commander Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) wants to see her. She rouses herself and walks through what we realize is WLF headquarters, inside the football stadium that once was the home of the Seattle Seahawks. The words "Seattle: Day One" come on the screen, and the episode ends. We've gone back in time three days, and now the story is focused on Abby. This twist mirrors the 2020 video game "The Last of Us Part II" almost exactly; in the game, Ellie disappears entirely as players move forward as Abby instead, an exercise in radical empathy. What the twist means for theshowis less clear. In a press conference on May 23 about the Season 2 finale, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who co-wrote the episode with Halley Gross, Druckmann's co-writer on "Part II") said they didn't know yet how much — or, rather, how little — they expect Ellie, Dina, Tommy and Jesse to appear in Season 3. "Even if I thought I knew now exactly how it was going to go, I'm experienced enough to know that two weeks from now we may have a different idea of how it should go," Mazin said. "All I can say is we haven't seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever and we haven't seen the last of Bella Ramsey, and we haven't seen the last of Isabela Merced, and we haven't seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story." Added Druckmann, "Whether you will see them on screen or not, their presence will be there throughout." In an interview withVariety, Ramsey was more definitive, saying they "most likely" expect to have a smaller role in Season 3. "I haven't seen any scripts, but yes, I do expect that," Ramsey said. "I think that I'm going to be there, but not a whole bunch. We've had conversations about that. I sort of have a rough idea of what it's going to be, but I can't tell you." In the press conference, Mazin did provide more clarity about other aspects of Season 3 — mainly concerning unresolved questions about the origins of the WLF and the Seraphites, and what drove them to war. "Those questions are correct and will be answered," Mazin said. "How did that war start? Why? How did the Seraphites start? Who is [their] prophet? What happened to her? What does Isaac want? What's happening at the end of Episode 7? What is this explosion? All of it will become clear." As for whether Season 3 will bring Joel back in more flashbacks — like, perhaps, a look at what Joel and Tommy were doing in the 20 years between the outbreak of the pandemic and the start of the show — Druckmann wouldn't rule it out. "I wouldn't have guessed we would have a short story about Joel's dad before we wrote the season, so there you go," he said, referencing a flashback to Joel's childhood from Episode 6. "You can't predict these things." Mazin also said that he and Druckmann entertained several options for how to incorporate Abby's story into the show, including intercutting her narrative with Ellie's, or alternating episodes between them. But in the end, they decided to stick to the structure of the game, which Mazin acknowledged was a considerable risk for a hit show that had already killed off one of its stars in Episode 2. "You keep asking people, 'I know you love this, we're taking it away and giving you this now,'" he said. "Then, hopefully they go, 'Oh, you know what, we actually really like this.'" As for Ramsey, they spoke withVarietyabout their difficulty with shooting that harrowing final scene directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado, why they loved getting battered with rain and sea on that dinghy, their secret sign language with Merced, and what was scariest about Ellie's scene with the Seraphites. I actually haven't seen it, to be fair, so I don't even know where it cuts. But yes, I remember, it's quite abrupt, and we did stop there. I actually found it really difficult. I feel like we should have like continued, because it was quite hard to just like suddenly stop. But yes, that is where it stops.Mwa ha ha! Yeah, that was a mad scene. I'm seeing my friend get shot straight in front of me, seeing Tommy get threatened and almost dying, and it's just so much going on. We actually did that scene a couple times, to get it just right. It was a really tricky balance, because obviously, so much tragic stuff is happening before her eyes, but at the same time she's seeing Abby, this person that she's been waiting for so long. That was a really challenging scene for me, and it took conversations with Craig and Nina, the director, to figure out what the right balance was of being traumatized and shell shocked versus this goal that Ellie's had to kill Abby is there right in front of her — but then obviously, the tables have turns and it's on her. It's just a crazy moment. It was going from the immediate grief of seeing Jesse get shot to then being in submission mode and pleading for my own life whilst it being Abby — it's so specific. If it was anybody else, the scene would be easy, but because it's her, there's just so much going on in Ellie's head in that moment. I'd seen so much of the gameplay of the second game, but I hadn't seen that scene, so I didn't know about any of the changes. To me, what I read in the script and what we did on the day was just how it was. So that's another — I had a lot of challenging scenes in this last episode! But yeah, that was a deep, dark sort of scene. I was really excited to get to do it and absolutely terrified, because how awful! That's maybe worse than seeing Joel die, because I think in that moment, Ellie realizes she has become all of the parts of him that she never wanted to become. And now she's seeing the consequences of her actions and her grief and her revenge and being unable to stop and think for a second. I actually don't think I was listening to anything. It definitelywasn't the same as Joel dying. I really had to stay in a certain headspace for that one. Joel dying, it's so immediate and so intense and so, like, loud. This one was way more quiet and intimate and still. There was definitely more of a darkening of the insides of myself beforehand. Yeah. It was right at the end of shooting, so I was absolutely exhausted, on my last little tether. But it was so fun. I love water and water scenes, and I just got to be in a heated water tank all day in the studio. I really had the best time. I also kind of know how to do boats and stuff like that, so that was exciting for me to be in the water and steering the dinghy. It was really beautiful. There was a real feeling on set during that scene of just tenderness. It was so done so respectfully. It felt like a brief and rare pause and breath in it all. It's not very often in "The Last of Us," especially this season, that two people are sitting down together in a scene and having an emotional, tender moment that isn't, like, traumatizing. We realized there were a lot of times that we'd be trying to sort of say to each other, like, "Do you need the toilet right now? Because I do, but do we have time?" And Isabela specifically was in skinny jeans and sometimes would be a bit uncomfortable, and she'd be like, "Can you cover me while I, like, fix myself?" Stuff like that.So Isabela came up with it. She was like, "We should just create a sign for that, so we don't have to do this awkward thing of trying to say it when there's people around." I don't really remember them now, unfortunately, but that was nice, non-verbal communication. Well, it was all quite light-hearted. We did have one for "I really don't want to do this right now." But it was done in a way of, like, we both know that we have to do it. I think that might have been like a weird head shake and a tongue out or something. It was just a comfort to know that there was someone in it with you. The Scars are the most terrifying part of the season, I think. The actual feeling of the rope like around my neck — obviously, I'm on a harness and it's not actually happening, but it's tight. So it's not hard to act. I'm fully safe, but it's very easy to trick my mind into thinking that it's not. All of the scary parts are the most fun to film. This interview has been edited and condensed. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byRobert Mejias

in

May 25, 2025

‘The Last of Us’ Star Bella Ramsey on the Hardest Part of the ‘Crazy’ Season Finale and What the Big Twist Means For Season 3

'The Last of Us' Star Bella Ramsey on the Hardest Part of the 'Crazy' Season Finale and What the Big Twist Means For Season ...

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Alonso ends HR drought and Mets overcome Ohtani's leadoff shot in 3-1 win over Dodgers

Alonso ends HR drought and Mets overcome Ohtani's leadoff shot in 3-1 win over Dodgers

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso ended the longest home run drought of his career with a two-run shot and the New York Mets took advantage of some shoddy Los Angeles Dodgers defense in a 3-1 victory Sunday night. Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer — hours afterthrowing 22 pitches of live batting practicein a significant rehab step — but that was all Los Angeles could muster against Kodai Senga (5-3) and three relievers. A hustling Juan Sotocontributed an RBI groundout and a difficult running catch in deep right field to help New York take two of three from the Dodgers after losing to them in six games in last year's National League Championship Series. Los Angeles committed a season-high four errors, two of which led to all three Mets runs. Alonso homered in the first off hard-luck loser Landon Knack (2-2), who permitted one earned run and four hits in six innings for the NL West leaders. He struck out five, walked none and retired 11 straight during one stretch. The slugger connected on the first pitch after third baseman Max Muncy booted a two-out grounder by Soto, who beat a rushed throw to first. It was the 236th career homer and 10th this season for Alonso, who had gone 16 games and 65 at-bats without a longball — both career worsts. Senga struck out five and walked four in 5 1/3 innings of five-hit ball. Ryne Stanek induced an inning-ending double play in the sixth, Max Kranick pitched two perfect innings and Reed Garrett worked a one-hit ninth for his fifth major league save and first this season. Key moment Tyrone Taylor made a terrific defensive play to stop the Dodgers' early momentum in the first. Already leading 1-0, they had runners at second and third with nobody out when Will Smith sent a flyball to center. Taylor moved toward right-center to make the catch and threw out Mookie Betts at the plate for a double play. Betts was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned following a replay challenge. Key stats Senga went 202 batters and a career-best eight games without allowing a home run until Ohtani connected. ... New York improved to 19-6 at home, the top mark in the majors. ... Soto got his seventh stolen base, matching his total last year with the Yankees. Up next Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-3, 1.86 ERA) pitches Monday night in Cleveland against RHP Gavin Williams (4-2, 3.94). New York RHP Clay Holmes (5-3, 3.13 ERA) starts Monday at home in the opener of a three-game series against Chicago White Sox RHP Adrian Houser (1-0, 0.00), who pitched for the Mets last year before getting released on July 31. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byRobert Mejias

in

May 25, 2025

Alonso ends HR drought and Mets overcome Ohtani's leadoff shot in 3-1 win over Dodgers

Alonso ends HR drought and Mets overcome Ohtani's leadoff shot in 3-1 win over Dodgers NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso ended the longest hom...

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Robin Thicke Proposes to April Love Geary — Again — in the Same City Where They Made Their Red Carpet Debut 10 Years Ago

Robin Thicke Proposes to April Love Geary — Again — in the Same City Where They Made Their Red Carpet Debut 10 Years Ago

April Love/Instagram Robin Thicke has proposed to fiancée April Love Geary for the second time — this time in Cannes, France Thicke first popped the question to her on Christmas 2018, when she was pregnant with their second child together Thicke, 48, and Geary, 30, started dating in 2014 Robin Thickehas once again popped the question toApril Love Geary! On Sunday, May 25, the 30-year-old model shared a post on Instagram announcing that the musician, 48, proposed to her for a second time, after he initiallyproposed on Christmas 2018. Geary shared a series of photos of the couple, both dressed in all-white attire as they stand on the steps of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes, France — the same place the pair made their public debut as a couple 10 years ago at theCannes Film Festivalin 2015. The model can be seen wearing a silk backless dress, while Thicke wore a white button-up and matching pants and shoes. April Love/Instagram "Robin surprised me during our trip to Cannes by proposing to me again with a new ring that one of my best friends @nikkiwhatnikkiwho @establishedjewelry made, I'm so obsessed with it, thank you!!!" Geary wrote in her caption. "😭 This trip was such a dream. 🤍 I love you so much @robinthicke." "Also a huge thank you to @alilasky for clearing out the whole area and making sure there wasn't a single person getting in the way 😂," she added. April Love/Instagram The couple started dating in late 2014, several months after the singerseparated from his wife of 10 years,Paula Patton. In August 2017, Geary and Thicke announced they were expectingtheir first child together. "Robin and I are very excited to share with you all that we're having a baby!" Geary wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside a sonogram photo. "The due date is March 1st, Alan's birthday," referring to Thicke's late father and actor,Alan Thicke. After Geary gave birth to daughterMia Love, in 2018, the couple later welcomed daughterLola Alainin 2019 as well as sonLuca Patrickin 2020. The musician is also dad to son Julian, 15, whom he shares with his ex-wife Patton. The pairannounced their first engagementon Instagram in 2018, while Geary was pregnant with their second daughter. "YES YES 1000x YES," the mother-to-be captioned her post at the time, alongside two black-and-white photos and a video that showed Thicke on bended knee in the middle of a family dinner. Since then, the couple have been candid about their relationship and their roles as parents. Last year, Thicke celebrated Mother's Daywith a sweet social media post, honoring his fiancée. The video flipped through several photos of their family, with Thicke honoring Geary in his caption. "Happy Mother's Day to the best mommy in the world. My everything! We Love and appreciate you so much@aprillovegeary! ❤️❤️❤️," Thicke wrote. Despite previously telling PEOPLE in 2024 that he and and Gearyplanned to tie the knot that year, the pair have seemingly not yet wed and are still in the planning stages. "My relationship with April continues to grow beautifully as we've matured into three-time parents together," Thicke told PEOPLE at the time. "She's really the most amazing woman a man could ask for." Read the original article onPeople

byRobert Mejias

in

May 25, 2025

Robin Thicke Proposes to April Love Geary — Again — in the Same City Where They Made Their Red Carpet Debut 10 Years Ago

Robin Thicke Proposes to April Love Geary — Again — in the Same City Where They Made Their Red Carpet Debut 10 Years Ago April Love/Instagra...

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Kate Middleton’s Brother James Shares Rare Comment on Sister

Kate Middleton's Brother James Shares Rare Comment on Sister

James Middletonis giving fans a rare glimpse into his relationship with his royal sister,Kate Middleton. In an interview withThe Mirroron Friday, May 23, James, 38, shared how lucky he feels to have Kate, 43, andPippa Middleton, his 41-year-old sister, as both siblings and friends. Reflecting on his mental health struggles, James revealed how his sisters have been a constant source of support, especially during his darkest moments. "They've seen me at my best and at my lowest, and they've always been there when I've needed them," he said. "Sibling love is something unique, you can't choose your siblings, it can be complicated, it takes work, but when it's strong, I believe it's one of the most powerful bonds there is." 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Growing up in Bucklebury, England, the Middleton family led a relatively quiet, middle-class life before Kate's rise to fame as the Princess of Wales. Despite the pressures of royal life, Jamesdescribed his eldest sisteras someone who is sensitive and strong, adding that the emotional openness of Kate, Pippa, and their motherCarole Middletonplayed a major role in his ability to cope with his mental health struggles. "They've always been emotionally open, expressive, and in tune with the people around them, and I think being surrounded by that kind of emotional intelligence rubbed off on me, even if I didn't fully realize it at the time," he admitted to the outlet. He continued, "having strong women around me who led with compassion and honesty definitely helped me learn that vulnerability wasn't weakness, it was strength." James also revealed that his family's support laid the foundation for his openness in therapy and even in writing his book,Meet Ella. In fact, Kate and James share a commitment to mental health advocacy with theirHeads Togethercampaign which launched in 2016, which aims to decrease the stigma around mental health. Kate Middleton's Brother James Shares Rare Comment on Sisterfirst appeared on Parade on May 25, 2025

byRobert Mejias

in

May 25, 2025

Kate Middleton’s Brother James Shares Rare Comment on Sister

Kate Middleton's Brother James Shares Rare Comment on Sister James Middletonis giving fans a rare glimpse into his relationship with his...

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