HBO‘s The Last Of Us answered possibly the show’s biggest and most burning question during Sunday night’s penultimate Season 2 episode.
The new episode marked the return of Pedro Pascal‘s beloved character Joel Miller, who was brutally killed by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in the season’s second episode.
The death of Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) beloved father figure has driven her to a vengeful journey to track down Abby in Seattle and kill her.
After she found Abby’s associate Nora (Tati Gabrielle) – who held down Ellie as Abby beat Joel to death with a golf club – last week’s episode ended with Ellie waking up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, greeting Joel, hinting next week’s episode was a flashback episode.
Sunday’s new episode was full of flashbacks, even one showing a young Joel confronting his own father about his abusive ways, telling Joel about how abusive his own father was, adding that he hoped, when Joel had kids, he would, ‘do a little better than me.’
The episode also showed moments from the five-year gap between the first and second season, revealing that Joel finally told Ellie the truth about the Fireflies.
The new episode marked the return of Pedro Pascal ‘s beloved character Joel Miller, who was brutally killed by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in the season’s second episode
The episode also showed moments from the five-year gap between the first and second season, revealing that Joel finally told Ellie the truth about the Fireflies.
Season 1 ended with Joel learning that the Fireflies were going to essentially kill her to try and find a cure for the fungal infection that spread around the world, which Ellie is somehow immune to.
Joel lied to Ellie and told her the Fireflies had found other immune people and they couldn’t make a cure, even as she asked him in the season’s final moments to swear that everything he told her was the truth.
Season 2 picks up five years later, as we see Joel and Ellie’s relationship has cooled considerably, with tonight’s episode filling in some of those gaps.
The new episode reveals how Joel celebrated Ellie’s birthday for the last five years, including him fixing up an entire museum just to entertain her.
But as the years went on, Ellie started growing up and distancing herself from Joel, as he caught her on her 17th birthday kissing a girl, smoking weed and working on a tattoo.
They also showed him crafting her custom guitar for one birthday, and him taking her out on her first patrol, which included a pivotal moment.
They find Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), who had been bitten, asking Joel to say goodbye to his wife Gail (Catherine O’Hara) before he turns.
He promises to take him back to Jackson Hole, but he ultimately lies, killing him after Ellie went back, and then lying to Gail about how he ended it himself, but Ellie tells her the truth.
Season 1 ended with Joel learning that the Fireflies were going to essentially kill her to try and find a cure for the fungal infection that spread around the world, which Ellie is somehow immune to
But as the years went on, Ellie started growing up and distancing herself from Joel, as he caught her on her 17th birthday kissing a girl, smoking weed and working on a tattoo
They find Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), who had been bitten, asking Joel to say goodbye to his wife Gail (Catherine O’Hara) before he turns.
He promises to take him back to Jackson Hole, but he ultimately lies, killing him after Ellie went back, and then lying to Gail about how he ended it himself, but Ellie tells her the truth.
Ellie ultimately realizes how this scenario mirrored the lie Joel told her five years earlier, and she finally asked him one last time if he was telling the truth about the fireflies… and he ultimately admitted that he lied.
He realizes that Ellie will turn from him, revealing that if he had to do it all over again, he’d do the same thing, saying he loved her before repeating the words from his father years earlier: ‘If you should ever have one of your own… well, then, I hope you do a little better than me.’
Ellie revealed that she didn’t know if she could forgive him for this, adding, ‘but I’d like to try,’ as the episode cut back to the present day with Ellie in Seattle, closing in on Abby, as the penultimate Season 2 episode came to a close.
Fans were fraught with emotion after watching tonight’s episode, including Kira (@KiraYamato44), who said, ‘The way I rolled on the floor crying hearing Joel say because I love you… HBO pay my damn trauma bill. #TheLastOfUs.’
Brendon Smith (@bigdogXVI) said, ‘#TheLastOfUs “If you should ever have one of your own…well..I hope you do a little better than me.” Joel is finally taking his father’s advice to heart and sharing that to Elle after all these years.’
Soph (@sophifieds) shared a crying GIF, while quoting Ellie, “i don’t think i can forgive you but id like to try. #TheLastofUs’
Others felt that Pascal and Ramsey’s performances were worthy of Emmy awards, including Nora Dominick (@noradominick).
‘Pedro pascal, i will hand carve an emmy for you for the porch scene alone if i have to #thelastofus,’ Nora tweeted.
He promises to take him back to Jackson Hole, but he ultimately lies, killing him after Ellie went back, and then lying to Gail about how he ended it himself, but Ellie tells her the truth.
He realizes that Ellie will turn from him, revealing that if he had to do it all over again, he’d do the same thing, saying he loved her before repeating the words from his father years earlier: ‘If you should ever have one of your own… well, then, I hope you do a little better than me’
Ellie revealed that she didn’t know if she could forgive him for this, adding, ‘but I’d like to try,’ as the episode cut back to the present day with Ellie in Seattle, closing in on Abby, as the penultimate Season 2 episode came to a close
Fans were fraught with emotion after watching tonight’s episode, including Kira (@KiraYamato44), who said, ‘The way I rolled on the floor crying hearing Joel say because I love you… HBO pay my damn trauma bill. #TheLastOfUs.’
Brendon Smith (@bigdogXVI) said, ‘#TheLastOfUs “If you should ever have one of your own…well..I hope you do a little better than me.” Joel is finally taking his father’s advice to heart and sharing that to Elle after all these years.’
Soph (@sophifieds) shared a crying GIF, while quoting Ellie, “i don’t think i can forgive you but id like to try. #TheLastofUs’
Others felt that Pascal and Ramsey’s performances were worthy of Emmy awards, including Nora Dominick (@noradominick).
Others felt that Pascal and Ramsey’s performances were worthy of Emmy awards, including Nora Dominick (@noradominick).
Sara (@isee_dayl1ght) tweeted, ‘i feel like i just got shot #TheLastOfUs’ in reference to the dark episode.
Another X user – @lady_ak27 – said, ‘What an amazingly heavy episode #TheLastOfUs.’
Trish (@D1LFMILLER) added, ‘“because i love you…. in a way you can’t understand. maybe you never will.” JUST F***ING K¡LL ME NEXT TIME #TheLastOfUs.
The Last of Us returns next week with the highly-anticipated Season 2 finale on Sunday, May 25 at 9 PM ET only on HBO.