episode 6 of The Last of Us has just arrived on HBO and HBO Max, continuing Joel and Ellie’s journey across the United States in their search for Tommy and the Fireflies.
WARNING: the text below contains spoilers for episode 6 of The Last of Us.
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A flash of the most shocking scene from the previous episode opens the episode, shortly after the opening, with a cut taking us to a frozen and unknown landscape, where we see the indication that three months have passed.
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After a moment of confusion in which we try to locate ourselves, Joel followed by Ellie appear for the first time in the episode, with a couple of strangers who give them instructions. They comment on a river, that all who crossed it died or were never seen again.
A sequence of attention-grabbing scenes include the moment when Joel starts to feel unwell, and a long conversation between the two during the night around a campfire. There, they talk about the future, and what they would like to do. While Joel says he wants to tend sheep, he doesn’t include Ellie in his plans. On the other hand, Ellie reveals her dream of being an astronaut.
The two’s relationship seems to have evolved a lot in these three months that we haven’t accompanied them, and Ellie covers Joel’s vigil when he accidentally falls asleep, and asks him to teach her how to hunt. However, everything is interrupted when they realize they have crossed a river, which may be the river of death mentioned by the unknown couple.
At the same time, they end up surrounded by people who look like cowboys with guns, and a tense moment ensues, with Joel fearing for Ellie’s life. Except that a woman, who we later know as Maria, seems to recognize Joel’s name after he says she’s looking for her brother. So they are taken to a village isolated from the rest of the world.
That’s where Joel and Tommy meet, and we see an Ellie who doesn’t look too happy about the situation. Is it jealousy that Joel now has someone he cares about besides her? Or fear of the unknown, understanding that their mission is over? After all, the point was to get Ellie to Tommy.
The isolated place is a camouflaged commune of a dangerous place, as they spread bodies to not attract hunters or interested in the place. Although the brothers appear to be on good terms, Joel initially lies to Tommy about Tess’s fate, as well as Ellie’s fate.
Despite having found Tommy, the Fireflies are not around, and he reveals that the group would be in Colorado. Joel tries to get Tommy to take over the mission, but he refuses, and reveals that Maria is pregnant. Soon after, we see Joel having another episode as he sees a young woman from the back who looks like his daughter, Sarah.
Also about Sarah, another important moment happens there: Ellie discovers the story of Joel’s daughter, which he was unaware of. Unbeknownst to Ellie, Joel tells the girl’s story and reveals about her panic attacks, showing himself more vulnerable than ever as he begs Tommy to take on his mission to take Ellie to the Fireflies.
Who is not happy with this is Ellie, who fights with Joel and reveals that fear that she told Sam in the previous episode: being alone. She tells how Joel was the only person she cared about that she didn’t abandon or die.
Although it looks like the two are going to go their separate ways, Joel shows up at the last minute as Ellie is about to leave with Tommy, and tells her that she can choose between going with him or her brother. Without hesitation, Ellie chooses to go with Joel. Despite the fight, what was said seems to have brought the two even closer together, with the pair continuing their journey, now heading towards Colorado.
Along the way, Joel seems to have come to terms with his role as not just a protector for her, but something of a father. Amid beautiful landscapes, he teaches her how to hunt, talks about her profession, teaches her about things like the rules of American football and reveals that he wanted to be a singer as a child.
Upon reaching their destination, they find that the Fireflies are apparently gone, and while the risk of infected is fearsome, it is the humans who show up to ruin things. Joel and Ellie are attacked by a member of the group, and although Joel kills him, he is injured in the process. Despite managing to escape, things don’t look good at all when Joel faints and falls off his horse, leaving Ellie desperate for the future. After all, all she doesn’t want is to be alone.
Episode 6, despite Tommy’s presence, is much more about Joel and Ellie, and how their relationship evolves from a smuggler and his cargo, to Joel understanding that she matters to him and he matters to her too.
Despite the tense ending, and other scenes where we fear for the duo’s lives, the episode focuses a lot on the characters and the development of their relationships. On the one hand, we see that Ellie is bothered by Joel not wanting her around and pretending to treat her just like a package, on the other hand, Joel demonstrates that he is very afraid, in yet another brilliant performance by Pedro Pascal.
Another great highlight of the episode is the photography and the scenarios, as well as the script, since the dialogues are a very strong point.
episode 7 of The Last of Us arrives on HBO and HBO Max next Sunday (26) at 11 pm. All episodes already released are on HBO Max.
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