The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 6 Review

Season 2 Episode 6 of The Last of Us re-focuses on Ellie and Joel’s relationship, with series-best performances from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.

Note that the episode is completely devoid of Infected or action set pieces; the closest we get is a nascent look at a dead body as the pair are patrolling through the woods.

And yet, episode 6 is just as thrilling and just as emotionally devastating as previous installments because it pays off so many of the lingering mysteries of season 2. Episode writers Neil Druckmann & Halley Gross & Craig Mazin stay mostly faithful to the portions of the game (Druckmann and Gross are the credited writers of “The Last of Us part II” as well), mining a series of flashbacks to show the slow degradation of Joel and Ellie’s relationship. I will admit that the cold open flashback to 1983, showing young Joel (Andrew Diaz) and Tommy’s (David Miranda) relationship with their father (Tony Dalton), caught me off guard. But it effectively shows how Joel has always been a protector of those he cares about, standing up to his father even though he knows he’s likely to be abused.

Joel goes all out for Ellie’s fifteenth birthday, fixing up and customizing her guitar and taking her on an excursion to the science museum. In the game, it’s a quick, harmless detour between all the death and destruction in Seattle, but in episode 6, it’s a season 2 highlight because of the infectious chemistry between Ramsey and Pascal. We can feel her excitement at seeing something she’s never seen before, and we can revel in his delight at giving it to her. 

Again, I’ve been enjoying The Last of Us in the past 3 weeks, but this week’s installment brought an extra level of insight and characterization that’s been sorely missing since Ellie left Jackson for Seattle. I’d venture to guess that those who haven’t played the game expected the truth to come out regarding Joel’s actions in Salt Lake City, but episode 6 helps to reinforce what he thought he was doing it for. Joel was a bad person, smuggling and killing those who threatened his idealized way of life, but what he didn’t realize was that Ellie was no longer the little girl he found back at the beginning of the show. As she gets older throughout episode 6, she strays further and further from him, even before she starts to question the truth of Salt Lake City. 

It all comes to a head when we finally learn what was seeded back in the season 2 premiere: the death of Eugene (Joe Pantoliano). We’ve heard so many references to Eugene that it seemed inevitable to learn something more about his death, and Druckmann, Gross, and Mazin pay it off well, capitalizing on episode 6’s themes of lies and protection. Yes, it’s a short scene, but it’s emotionally effective, as Joel wastes no time taking him out once he learns Eugene has been infected. Joel can try and sugar coat Eugene’s death to Carol (Catherine O’Hara) all he wants, but Ellie values honesty over everything and breaks the news regardless.

The final scene between Joel and Ellie on the porch, of which we saw a brief glimpse in episode 1, is even more stunning acting from Ramsey and Pascal. Joel has been afraid of this moment ever since he carried her away from Salt Lake City, and Pascal doesn’t hold back from showing how he knows there’s no going back between them. Ellie is right to be upset, but Joel knows from experience with his own father that, one day, if Ellie is presented with a similar choice, she’ll do the same. I had wondered when and how The Last of Us would come to these critical flashbacks, and I think the show’s creative team were smart to dedicate an entire episode to them, rather than sprinkle them throughout season 2. Last week ended with Ellie being especially cruel to get revenge, reaching the point of no return. This week ends on Ellie choosing a path towards forgiveness with Joel, rather than burning the bridge of their relationship. It’s a sobering reminder of who she once was, not so long ago.

Episode 6 of The Last of Us Season 2 is now available to stream on Max.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 – Gamer Corner

Though The Last of Us season 2 has stayed mostly faithful to the game, there are some key differences in the adaptation, which could provide new avenues for the show going forward. This space will highlight those changes, and what it could mean based on what we already know from the game. Obviously, spoilers ahead:

As with so many key cut-scenes from the game, episode 6 hardly changes anything from the transition to TV. The scenes at the science museum, and the final scene on the porch, are ripped almost verbatim – and who could blame them, since they were written so perfectly from the beginning. I can’t imagine the events of this week will have much bearing on the season finale next week, so I can’t make any predictions based on what we have. But it seems that season 2 is pacing itself to end with Ellie’s side of the story, either in the theater or at the marina. If so, there’s still a great deal of ground to cover, including more expansion on the Seraphites vs. the WLF.