The Last of Us Season 2 has been a roller coaster ride so far. Ellie was mad at Joel since the start of the new season, and before we could know what exactly happened between the duo, we were led to witness Joel’s gruesome death. While those who have played the TLOU Part 2 video game are well-acquainted with most of the events already, they still crave to see them getting adapted in the HBO series. TLOU Season 2 Episode 5 showed Ellie confronting Nora about Abby’s whereabouts, and things got brutal at the end.
However, with the glimpse of Joel in the ending of the previous episode, we knew something really beautiful would come our way in Episode 6, and trust me when I say this, the brand-new episode has everything TLOU fans craved for in Season 2.
Spoiler Warning: The post includes heavy spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6. So, read at your own risk.
A Recap That Feels Like Home
What made The Last of Us Season 1 a massive hit? It was the equation between Bella Ramsey’s Ellie and Pedro Pascal’s Joel, wasn’t it? I can’t say about you, but that was the primary element that drew me towards the series and kept me hooked till the end. So, it has been hard for me to stick to Season 2 after Joel’s death sequence. However, TLOU Season 2 Episode 6 again gave me a chance to enjoy the series like I used to before.
A 1983 Flashback with Joel’s Father
The episode starts with a flashback from 1983, in which Joel is seen protecting his little brother from their cop father, played by a popular MCU actor. This is a TV original sequence that we haven’t seen in the video game. Honestly, this is a great addition that lets us know that Joel has always been protective of his loved ones. And it was this very nature that compelled Joel to help Ellie all these years later.
Celebrating Ellie’s Birthdays
Later, the episode takes us to the initial days of Joel and Ellie in Jackson. We finally get to meet the father-daughter duo that made us fall for them in Season 1. Ellie gets her hand burned, and we can see Joel worried for her, like he would have been for his own daughter, Sarah. The way we hugged and kissed Ellie’s forehead was enough to melt her heart, but then the episode saw Joel getting a cake baked by Seth for Ellie’s 15th birthday and gifting her a guitar that he crafted on his own.
Joel also plays Pearl Jam’s Future Days, the same song that Ellie sang in Episode 5 after picking up a guitar in the theatre.
The scene then cuts to a one-year time jump, showing Ellie and Joel hiking through the woods to the space museum. It is a surprise trip for Ellie, though. I’m glad TLOU Season 2 Episode 6 at least gave us a glimpse of the carefree girl who transitioned into someone who is burdened by guilt and trauma in the present timeline after witnessing Joel’s gruesome death.
Like in the TV show, this was a heartwarming sequence in the games as well. From the beginning, we have seen Ellie being a rude little girl acting like an adult. Honestly, it was this harsh world that snatched away Ellie’s childhood. Fortunately, this scene lets us witness the inner child within Ellie.
That was not it. In the episode, we also see Ellie going through the rebellious teenage phase. Not only does Joel confront Ellie for smoking, getting tattoos, and being all messy, but he also confronts the girl for experimenting with her sexuality. At the time, Joel did not seem okay with all this, but the rift that grew between these characters sees Joel make peace with Ellie’s sexuality, as he had bigger things to worry about.
The Moment That Creates a Rift Between Joel and Ellie
Years pass, and Ellie can’t let go of the Salt Lake City incident from her mind. She craves the answers from Joel, whom she trusted with her whole heart, and deep inside, she knew that he lied to her about that night and Fireflies. However, she could never confront him straightforwardly, as Ellie knew that it would hurt.
Ellie is 19 years old when Joel gives her the opportunity to join him on a patrol as her birthday gift. “Well, guess what? It works out great for your birthday present. You are 19 and you have been patient. So, I told them I was okay with it,” says Joel to Ellie.
However, Joel had no idea that this would change things between him and Ellie forever. On their way, they encounter Eugene, who has been bitten by an infected. Yes, it was Eugene, the husband of Joel’s therapist, whom she mentioned in the first episode. At the time, we knew that Joel killed him, and deep down in our hearts, we wished for it not to be true.
However, the latest episode confirms that Joel did, in fact, kill Eugene after making false promises to him as well as to Ellie. Of course, Eugene was bitten, and he was bound to die. However, the man had enough time and one final wish, to say goodbye to his wife.
Ellie also thought the same, and she wanted Eugene to meet his wife before meeting his dark fate. Sadly, though, Joel kills Eugene from behind after assuring him that he will let the man meet his wife. Not only does he betray Eugene, but Joel also narrates a fabricated story to Eugene’s wife.
Ellie is heartbroken and shaken, seeing how Joel lies without any guilt in his eyes. She got furious and told Gail the truth, and as expected, the woman slapped Joel for killing her husband and not fulfilling his last wish.
The Last of Us Porch Scene We’ll Never Forget
Seeing how Joel lied to Gail, Ellie knew that his adoptive father had lied about the Fireflies as well. “You swore,” this line from Ellie was directed towards the promise Joel made to Eugene. However, it seems like Ellie was directing this towards the fabricated lie that Joel told Ellie about the Fireflies. She confronted the man on the porch after the New Year incident, and Joel had no choice but to tell the truth.
Of course, the girl grew distant, and she stayed away from Joel for a long time. However, deep down in her heart, Ellie loved Joel. The girl sort of realized why Joel did all that; he just couldn’t let his little girl be subject to an experiment.
Even though it cost Joel his humanity, he saved Ellie from an untimely death. Dying for humanity was Ellie’s fate, but Joel couldn’t make peace with it. He would do that all over again, and the man didn’t feel guilty even for a second for saving Ellie. That is why Ellie decided to give Joel one more chance. It was Joel’s unconditional love that compelled Ellie to be with her adoptive father.
Joel may not be a good man, in the eyes of some, especially Abby, but he was still Ellie’s adoptive father, and he loved the girl. So, in the end, it doesn’t matter for Ellie if Joel did the right thing or not. What matters is that Joel loved her, and she loved him as well. Ellie giving Joel a second chance makes his death more heartbreaking. She knew the truth about Fireflies, and even then, she was ready to give him another chance.
However, by killing Joel, Abby took away that chance from Ellie to forgive Joel. That’s the reason why Ellie is furious; she didn’t get closure, and when things are about to get good between her and Joel, Abby takes him away. There’s a fury inside Ellie’s heart, and that won’t go away until she gets revenge for what Abby did to Joel.
