The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 Review: A Father’s Love

In the last episode of this HBO series, Ellie and Dina get between a horrifying war between the cult and the WLF and are almost captured. However, Jesse suddenly arrives to save them from sure death. Ellie eventually finds Nora and kills her when she provokes her, but she is unable to get Abby’s whereabouts out of her.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 has a runtime of 59 minutes.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 Recap

The episode starts with two scared young brothers talking about being beaten by their father. When the father eventually returns that night, the older one, ready to take the heat for his sibling, sits waiting. It turns out that it’s Joel and Tommy’s childhood, with Joel unsuccessfully covering for Tommy in front of their father. However, in spite of knowing the truth, Joel’s father doesn’t hit Tommy and instead opens up about his childhood and the abuse that he faced at his own father’s hands and hopes that, just like he is doing a bit better than his father, Joel, too, will be better than him with his own children.

The episode then shifts to later on, Joel, new to town during the outbreak, gives Seth a bag of old Legos, wanting in turn, a bone and a birthday cake. He makes guitar components out of the bone and is then surprised to learn about Ellie hurting herself to mask the bite marks on her arm so that she’s able to wear short sleeves again. Later on, he gives Ellie her birthday cake and the guitar, playing a song for her. She’s overwhelmed with emotions, as is he, as they share a beautiful memory together.

One year later, Ellie and Joel hike to a museum as she tries to convince him to go on patrol. She’s overjoyed to see the dinosaur and the planetarium inside. Joel’s thoughtfulness creates a core memory for Ellie, who looks so happy discovering everything and taking a “trip to space”. He also gives her a cassette of the Apollo launch that counts down to launch, giving her an immersive experience. Her happiness makes Joel cry. On their way back, Ellie sees fireflies, promising to do this more often.

One more year later, Joel has another birthday cake made for Ellie, but this time, he walks in on her spending the night with another girl. He is incensed, and the two fight about her getting a tattoo and sleeping with women, although Ellie tells him that it’s not an experiment. That night, Ellie tries to move to the garage, but that idea is knocked down because there’s no heat or running water there. The two have a heated discussion, and Joel eventually relents into giving her space.

He asks her about the moths and even compliments her tattoo, believing that they symbolise change. The next morning, he talks to Gail, who tells him that moths represent death – he’s probably thinking about butterflies. This leaves Joel concerned.

Two years later, Ellie is preparing to ask Joel about Salt Lake City and everything that happened there. This year, Joel surprises her with her first patrol, and although they are on a safe trail, they eventually get a call for backup nearby. The two rush over and start scanning the area, eventually finding infected dead bodies and, eventually, Eugene, who has been bitten. He asks to take him back and talk to Gail, but Joel refuses to let him. Ellie intervenes and asks Joel to consider, and he eventually relents.

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Unfortunately, Joel doesn’t keep his promise to Ellie and shoots Eugene anyway after taking him to a beautiful spot by the river. When Ellie arrives, he apologises to her and promises to talk to Gail, but it’s clear that Ellie is not going to let it go. She becomes even more incensed when Joel lies to Gail about what happened and sets the record straight, resulting in Gail slapping Joel and Ellie walking away crying.

Nine months later, at the party from episode 1, Maria comforts Joel and tells him that he’s family, after which Joel pushes Seth down for insulting Ellie and Dina. Back at home, Joel looks morose as he plays on his guitar. He exchanges a glance with Ellie, who has come back home, and she eventually comes to talk to him. The two have a frank conversation, and he asks her about Dina. She, in turn, angrily confronts him about lying to her, giving him one last chance to tell her what happened with the Fireflies.

This time, Joel tells her the truth through tears but reiterates that he would’ve done it all over again if given the choice. Ellie isn’t able to understand, and Joel tells her that if she ever has children, he hopes that she does a little better than him. Ellie, having her purpose taken away from her, tells him that she might be unable to forgive him, but she wants to try either way.

Back in the present, Ellie walks into the cinema hall in Seattle.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 Review

What an absolutely heart-wrenching episode that gives context to Ellie and Joel’s relationship. That last bit about Ellie doing a little better than he with her child truly broke me. The episode is an important one in fleshing out the protagonists and giving context to their decisions. It’s also an important episode because it showcases the power of love and loyalty and the fierceness with which Joel loved Ellie.

It’s great to watch Pascal once more this season, and he’s so good. I just couldn’t take my eyes off him – the last sequence on the deck of him answering Ellie’s questions about the hospital with tears streaming down his face is haunting. Bella Ramsey is, once more, fantastic and seeing her change over the years, especially emotionally, is so realistic. You can see the child-like wonder in her being replaced by angst and maturity year on year, and Ramsey is great in every scene.

Although I acknowledge that the series has been low on action a bit, especially this episode, which is just a lot of emotions, I think they are important to ground us to these characters. Especially with HBO greenlighting two more seasons, we are not getting crammed episodes encompassing the storyline of the games in two seasons. And, honestly, with how it’s going, I am willing to wait for the experience.

Also Read: Also Read: The Last of Us Season 1 Review | The Last of Us Season 2 Review