But in episode 6 of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” we see a brand new aspect of Joel. He is susceptible. He feels immense guilt. He doubts his capacity to guard those he loves. And he overtly admits that he’s fearful of what may consequence from these feelings. In 10 years of this character’s existence, that is the rawest we’ve ever seen Joel Miller. It’s a aspect we by no means obtained to know within the video games. It’s a aspect that solely his brother Tommy sees.
Before we see the brothers reunite, Joel and Ellie lastly arrive in Wyoming. They take a Native American couple hostage, and demand info. Ellie mirrors Joel greater than ever right here. It’s startling to see a 14-year-old lady maintain up an older couple together with her pistol, and that’s precisely what Ellie does, enthusiastically. The couple warn our heroes: People who go by means of the world are killed by some unknown group west of the river, the place Tommy lies. The performances for these two anonymous characters are memorable, humorous and charming, if quick. “The Last of Us” on HBO might be criticized for not dwelling a lot on particular person characters (particularly since so many die in the identical episode they’re launched), however each efficiency nonetheless swings for the fences.
Joel and Ellie truck alongside, and we get a couple of extra minutes of them bonding. Here’s one of many largest variations between the sport and the present: Compared to the sport, we spend little or no time with simply Joel and Ellie within the present. The recreation was virtually fully 12 hours of the 2 interacting. We noticed their relationship type as we performed. The present, against this, has to contrive scenes for simply the 2 of them to make sure that audiences type an identical bond with these characters.
Later, Joel stops to wrap his damaged boots with duct tape. Here’s one other factor we get to see within the present that we by no means did within the recreation: Joel and Ellie stress-free and tenting. In the sport, the participant is consistently on the transfer. In the present, we get to see how the world actually works. Of course Joel’s boots would cut up open. He’s walked throughout greater than half the nation by now.
Ellie confesses to Joel that she tried and failed to save lots of Sam. The tragedy of Henry and Sam has remodeled each of them. Ellie is traumatized and desires her immunity to imply one thing. As for Joel, we’ll perceive the influence these occasions had on him later.
The two cross the river and a band of individuals on horseback strategy and maintain them at gunpoint. A canine is dispatched to find out whether or not Joel and Ellie are contaminated. Joel, after all, is clear. Ellie is the wild card, and Joel is powerless to do something about it. Fortunately the canine takes a liking to Ellie; we hear her giggle. A girl acknowledges Joel and escorts him and Ellie to Jackson.
Tommy and Joel lastly reunite. We be taught that the girl who acknowledged Joel is Maria, Tommy’s spouse. Here, we see peace and order in world of “The Last of Us.” If the story has felt bleak and hopeless up so far — that it doesn’t matter what a group does, it’s doomed — this Wyoming group is the counter argument. An orderly life might be achieved. Tommy says it’s all accomplished by means of collective ordership. Joel observes that that’s “communism.” Reflecting his old-fashioned American sensibilities, Tommy bristles on the suggestion, however Maria shortly corrects him: “This is a commune,” she says. “We’re communists.”
The brothers take a while on the bar. Joel isn’t forthcoming about why he’s there and who Ellie is, which makes Tommy suspicious. Joel asks Tommy to take Ellie to the Fireflies; Tommy refuses. He reveals to Joel that he’s about to be a father. Joel’s response is to seize the bottle and take a swig. Tommy feels insulted by that response and Joel leaves, believing he’s intruding on his brother’s life.
Outside, Joel appears to be having well being issues. It’s unclear why, precisely — past him being a 56-year-old man who simply walked throughout most of North America. He sees a lady with hair identical to his late daughter’s, and must cease to come up with his feelings. Meanwhile, Ellie and Maria have a tense showdown over Joel’s checkered previous as a assassin and smuggler. Ellie lastly learns about Joel’s daughter, and Maria warns Ellie about following in Joel’s footsteps. Ellie defends Joel and insists possibly she’s “smarter” than Tommy, who truly adopted in Joel’s murderous footsteps, and gained’t do what he did. Maria is impressed by Ellie sticking to her weapons and invitations her to the flicks. The commune has arrange a projector with some previous movies. It’s one more occasion of attending to know what a peaceable existence seems like on this world.
Tommy finds Joel and instantly apologizes for his crassness in saying his fatherhood. He realizes what he mentioned to Joel, particularly the excellent news of him being a father, would damage his brother. Finally, Joel lets Tommy in on the true nature of his journey: to take Ellie to the Fireflies within the hopes of discovering a vaccine. It’s right here that we see Joel in contrast to we’ve ever seen him, trying like a misplaced previous man. He recollects how Ellie needed to shoot one other man to save lots of his gradual, previous self. He says he was powerless to save lots of Ellie when Sam attacked her. And when that canine tried to smell out Ellie earlier within the episode, Joel felt equally helpless.
“All I did was stand there,” Joel admits. “I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think of anything except I was so afraid.” He recollects the nightmares he’s had over the previous months, the place he’s unable to save lots of those he loves. “I’m failing in my sleep,” Joel says with a deep aching in his voice.
Tommy clearly hates seeing Joel this fashion and agrees to take Ellie to the University of Eastern Colorado, the place the Fireflies might need a base. Ellie overhears all this, and confronts Joel: Does he care about her? Joel says after all he does. Ellie brings up Sarah and Joel tells her to cease. Of course, Ellie doesn’t pay attention and continues: Joel is the one particular person in her life who hasn’t deserted her. Joel hardens again up and tells her she’s not his daughter, and he certain as hell ain’t her dad — a line lifted instantly from the sport.
The subsequent morning, Joel decides to supply Ellie a alternative: Go with him, or Tommy. To Ellie, it’s no alternative in any respect. The two depart Tommy and the idyllic Jackson commune. Our two heroes mend their relationship and quietly reaffirm their dedication to 1 one other. We get a pleasant, enjoyable scene of Joel lastly educating Ellie the right way to use a rifle.
Eventually, the pair arrive on the college and discover that the Fireflies have gone. But instantly, the 2 are attacked by strangers. Joel kills one in all them, however not earlier than struggling a crucial harm to his intestine. The two escape, however Joel passes out. He seems to be virtually useless. Ellie is mortified, and whispers, “I can’t do this without you. Joel, please.” A canopy of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” ends our journey this week, the identical tune that closed out the primary episode. The lyrics replicate on a journey with a “best friend” that will not essentially be in your finest curiosity, however that you simply tackle anyway, in hopes of feeling full.
Some notes and observations:
- Tommy and Joel share an identical previous as they did within the video games, the place Joel led Tommy to do some inhumane, terrible issues that neither of them ever really feel snug instantly addressing. But at the least within the present, their relationship is hotter and extra emotionally clever. Tommy appears conscious about and sympathetic to his brother’s trauma. And Joel sees Tommy much less as an equal and extra as somebody he must “save.”
- We see a touch of Joel’s previous cruelty when he holds up the Native American couple at gunpoint. When he asks a few location on the map, he tells the husband that it’d higher be the identical reply as his spouse’s. Viewers conversant in the sport know the darkish implications of this quip. If the reply was totally different, one of many two wouldn’t be telling the reality.
- Rutina Wesley performs Maria with a pointy tongue and a sharper thoughts. While she’s not precisely answerable for the Jackson commune, it’s clear she instructions respect — and has labored onerous to earn it. We be taught that Maria was once a district lawyer, which explains her capacity to talk with confidence and authority.
- The present utterly removes the pointless motion setpieces from the sport, particularly the firefights on the hydroelectric dam and the home the place Joel and Ellie argue when she overhears his request to Tommy. Both motion sequences have been demanded by the truth that “The Last of Us” is an motion recreation. But HBO’s interpretation is a tv drama, not an motion present. Plus, neither motion sequences actually helped us be taught something new about any of the characters. Nothing is missed, and as an alternative we get to know our characters extra by means of some compelling performances.