Oh man, I am so excited to talk about The Last of Us episode 6! This episode just premiered on HBO, and as a fan of the game, I couldn’t wait to see how they would take these characters out of the tragic event that occurred in the previous episode. But as I’m watching the show, I’m trying to remove my mind from the game as much as possible.
It’s been many years since I played the first one, and I’m enjoying the fact that there are aspects of the game that I have forgotten. As I watch the show, I find myself wanting to go back and play the game again.
This episode starts with a three-month time jump, which is a smart move. We now know that Joel and Ellie have experienced things that we haven’t necessarily seen, and their dynamic has matured a bit. This will help get the characters to a place where the ending of the game, if the show decides to maintain that ending, still makes sense and works.
But this episode does even more than that. It continues to strengthen the dynamic between Joel and Ellie in ways that Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey communicate so eloquently. These two actors are truly forces of nature. Pedro Pascal, in particular, gives his best performance in the show so far.
When he’s finally reunited with his brother, he has a very heartfelt conversation with him in private where he unloads all of this emotion that he’s been bottling up. You really see a side of Joel and Pedro Pascal as an actor that you’ve never seen before. I think this episode alone could Garner him an Emmy nomination.
Bella Ramsey is also fantastic in this episode. It forces Joel and Ellie to come to a place where Joel cares about her enough to suggest that she would be better off going forward with his brother, who is in better shape to protect her. The fact that Joel is already thinking that way about her is so heartwarming.
He’s not thinking about the reward; he’s putting her first. You can see in Ellie’s eyes when he even suggests the idea of separation that she doesn’t want to deal with that. She has this beautiful outburst about how everyone has always abandoned her, and she too is going to secure an Emmy nomination. If both of them don’t, that’s going to be stupid, man!
Let’s talk about the episode a little more chronologically. I loved the opening sequence with Graham Greene and the argument that ensues there. It was funny and incredibly well-written. But eventually, they stumble across a living, breathing town where Tommy is alive and well.
They have movies, and they project them for audiences, and they have sheep, which allows Ellie to make fun of Joel’s eventual goal of owning a sheep ranch. This seems like a place where they could truly settle down.
One of the most important things in this episode is that Ellie learns that Joel once had a daughter who is no longer alive. This allows her to feel a little closer to him and understand why he is so guarded. What this show is doing so well, especially this episode, is communicating how there are still different pockets of people who are trying to re-establish some form of society.
To do that, you have to present yourself as villains because, in their eyes, you are a threat. They all surround Joel and Ellie on horseback with guns, and they have a dog. It’s intense, and it makes you wonder how they are going to get out of this situation.
Overall, this episode of The Last of Us is excellent. I can’t wait to see how they wrap up the season. But now, I’m going to go back and play the game again, thanks to this show reminding me of how much I love these characters.
