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Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 6 follow down below.
Whether it was the game or the HBO series, it is an undeniable fact that the events of Salt Lake City changed Joel and Ellie’s relationship. Ellie was being taken for an operation to find the cure for the Cordyceps infection, but Joel knew that it could kill her. As a result, he killed everyone present there, including Abby’s father. He took Ellie away, and before making their way to Jackson, he told Ellie everything. But everything was way different from what happened.The Last of Usseason 2 was always about Ellie’s revenge, but it was also about her relationship with Joel.
In the first two episodes, viewers got to know Ellie still has love for Joel, but she doesn’t show it. But his death deeply affected her, and she realized how she had never taken time to mend their relationship. The penultimate episode ofThe Last of Usseason 2 explored their relationship thoroughly and showcased what Joel did for Ellie. Additionally, it also featured an incident that made their relationship even worse. But did they ever try to mend their relationship? Let’s take a look at how the penultimate episode ofThe Last of Usseason 2 ended.
What Happens In The Penultimate Episode ofThe Last of UsSeason 2?
Episode 6 ofThe Last of Usseason 2 is all about the relationship shared by Joel and Ellie, and how it went from bad to worse after certain instances. In the initial moments of the episode, viewers meet the younger versions of Joel and Tommy, who are afraid of their father. Tommy seems to have done something wrong, and now, he believes that his father will hit him with the belt. However, Joel takes the blame when their father arrives home. But he knows that Joel is trying to save his brother and tells him how he used to get beaten by his father, and how he is better than his father.
The story moves forward with an adultJoel (played by Pedro Pascal)trying to give a present to Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) for her birthday. He gifts her a guitar and embeds a “moth” symbol on the front part of the guitar. Ellie says that she wanted to hear a song from him, and Joel played “Future Days” for him. The episode takes a time jump, and once again, it’s Ellie’s birthday. This time, Joel is taking him somewhere to give her a big surprise. Ellie gets very happy when Joel takes her to an abandoned museum that showcases space. Consequently, she gets a chance to be an astronaut and sit inside the front part of the rocket that was used during the Apollo 11 mission. As Ellie gets older, she becomes a rebellious teen who wants to live her life on her terms. On her 17th birthday, Joel catches her with a girl, doing drugs, and getting a tattoo.
Later that night, Joel sees Ellie taking her stuff to the garage because she wanted her own space. Joel tells her that there are some rules in this house because this house belongs to him. Ellie counters by saying that it’s not his home, and it was given to “them.” Joel realizes that Ellie is getting older, and now she is at that age where she needs her space. As a result, he asked for a couple of days to fix the garage so she could live there. With another time jump of two years, Joel gives Ellie a surprise on her 19th birthday by allowing her to be on the patrolling team. They take a patrol together, but soon, things get worse when they encounter Eugene, who has been bitten by the infected. Eugenewanted to meet his wife, Gail, one last time, but Joel didn’t want that to happen. However, Ellie convinces him to do otherwise. Joel tells Ellie to go and bring their horses to the end of the trail, while he walks with Eugene to that point. But as soon as they reach there, Joel kills Eugene, which ruins Ellie.
When they reach their settlement, Joel tells Gail that Eugene was ambushed by the infected and bitten. As a result, he lost his life. But Ellie was furious with what Joel did and told Gail the truth. That was the moment when Ellie and Joel grew apart.
How Did Episode 6 OfThe Last of UsSeason 2 End?
The penultimate episode was divided into several important moments that happened in Joel and Ellie’s relationship. The last chapter included the final time they talked to each other. Viewers see another version of the scene where Dina and Ellie kissed each other for the first time during the New Year’s party. Seth criticized them for kissing and when he called them Dykes, Joel came in between to support Ellie and Dina. However, Ellie said that she didn’t want help. In the first episode, viewers saw Ellie walking past Joel to the garage. However, that was not how everything ended that night.
In the concluding moments of the sixth episode ofThe Last of Usseason 2, Ellie came back and talked to Joel that night. Joel said that he is happy for her, and Dina will be happy for her. Ellie, while having tears in her eyes, said that he was an “a**hole” because he lied to her when she asked him about what happened in Salt Lake City. She gives him the last chance to tell the truth about what happened to the Fireflies, and if he lies to her again, their relationship is done and dusted. Ellie starts by asking him a question about whether there were other immune people present there. Joel shakes his head and says, “No.” The second question she asks is if there were any raiders present, to which Joel says, “No.”
The last question Ellie asked was about the cure and if a cure could have been found. Joel, literally having tears in his eyes, knew that his answer would change everything, but he was done lying. As a result, he nods and says, “Yes.” Consequently, he said that if they had worked on making a cure, Ellie could have been killed like the previous subjects. Ellie was furious with Joel for his actions, telling him that if she was meant to die, then it should have happened, because her death might have led to a cure and helped everyone. Joel knew what he was doing and also knew the price he would pay for it. Now, he would be distant from Ellie because she wouldn’t want to see his face after learning about the truth. She called him selfish for doing that, but Joel said that he did everything because he loves her in a way that she would never understand.
But he made it clear to her that if a day comes when she has her own child, he hopes that she’ll do better than him. He spoke the same line that his father told him when he was young. Moreover, he made Ellie realize that if a situation like Salt Lake City arises in the future, he would do the exact same thing and save her. It seems Ellie also realized how much he loved her, and although she couldn’t forgive him for what he did, she would like to try and make the relationship better. However, they never got to do it. The episode ends with Ellie coming out of thehospital building after killing Noraand heading to the theater to meet Dina and Jesse.
The ending of the episode seemed like a full-circle moment for Ellie. In a way, she did something similar to what Joel did for her. Now, she has done that for Dina and their unborn child. The moments between Joel and Ellie were shot perfectly and made everyone realize how a father can go to any lengths to make his child happy. Pascal and Ramsey are at the top of their game, knocking it out of the park with their emotionally charged performances. Surely, one of the finest episodesThe Last of Ushas given viewers.
