This story incorporates many spoilers for “The Last of Us” Season 2, Episode 6.

The contaminated have discovered to stalk and dash. The Cordyceps fungus is now airborne. And Joel (Pedro Pascal) isn’t immortal. The primary 5 episodes of “The Last of Us” provided up a number of new threats and at the least one main dying. Deep into its second season, HBO’s sequence adaptation of the favored online game stays true to its namesake by sending its protagonist Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her companion Dina (Isabela Merced) on a revenge mission from their fortified compound in Wyoming to the wilds of Seattle. Their purpose is to search out Joel’s killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). However the Pacific Northwest presents challenges past cauliflower-headed flesh eaters and lethal imply women. The brutal battle between the Washington Liberation Entrance and the primitive spiritual cult the Seraphites makes Ellie’s mission all of the extra harmful and sophisticated — and the present’s imagery extra ugly.

Episode 6 introduced Joel again from the lifeless in a sequence of flashbacks that gave perception into his distinctive parenting abilities, revealed the occasion that triggered the rift between Joel and Ellie and uncovers what occurred to therapist Gail’s (Catherine O’Hara’s) husband, Eugene (Joe Pantoliano). Whereas on patrol, Eugene was bitten by the contaminated. Ellie made Joel promise he wouldn’t kill Eugene till he had the prospect to say goodbye to his spouse. However when Ellie leaves for a second to retrieve their horses, Joel breaks the promise.

Like Episode 3 of Season 1, Sunday’s installment of the sequence was the uncommon episode that deviated from the sport’s narrative to inform a deeper story in regards to the characters. Starting at Ellie’s fifteenth birthday and shifting via subsequent ones, the episode chronicled the shifting dynamic in the primary characters’ father-daughter relationship, from a decent bond between orphan and her adopted protector to close estrangement.

Lorraine Ali, Tracy Brown and Mary McNamara gathered to debate the most recent episode of the spore-filled thriller.

The supply of pressure between Gail (Catherine O’Hara) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) is revealed in Episode 6.

(Liane Hentscher / HBO)

Ali: “The Last of Us” options flesh-eating zombie-like issues and death-worshipping cults, however I like that the true terror on the coronary heart of Season 2 is the prospect of parenting a teen. The theme on the core of Episode 6 was largely centered on the fraught father-daughter dynamic between Joel and Ellie and the risks of passing down generational trauma. We even get some backstory on Joel’s tough childhood, although I want there had been extra on that entrance.

What we do get much more of is Ellie’s hostility towards Joel, and it’s exhausting in ways in which the showrunners most likely by no means supposed. Naturally there’s loads of ire in Ellie as she hurtles towards maturity in a hopeless hellscape with an murderer/guardian who’s repeatedly lied to her. However now that she’s the lead character of the sequence, I want extra from Ellie than only one or two gears of rage and scorn, particularly given the complexity of their relationship.

Joel killed to save lots of her and doomed humanity within the course of! A bond cast in such tragedy ought to encourage a truckload of feelings, even in a defiant teen who’s nonetheless clumsy at expressing her emotions. However that depth or nuance simply wasn’t there for me, even when the sequence cued us up for such moments. The flashbacks to Ellie’s birthday celebrations with Joel felt like explainers of how the 2 grew aside versus emotional snapshots that captured the roots of their estrangement. Possibly I’ve been spoiled by the shocking depth and great thing about Season 1? I miss the phobia and pleasure of that deserted mall.

Brown: It’s attention-grabbing that you simply point out the deserted mall, Lorraine, as a result of I feel that’s what all of it comes again to for Ellie. I don’t know if it’s as a result of I’ve spent many hours enjoying as Ellie in “The Last of Us” video games, or as a result of I perceive what it’s prefer to be an angsty teenager way more than being a mother or father, however I assumed Episode 6 did assist shed some mild on Ellie and Joel’s behaviors and dynamic.

Again in Episode 4, whereas attempting to elucidate her immunity to the Cordyceps fungus to Dina, Ellie mentions that there are quite a lot of the occasions she needs she wasn’t immune. On this newest episode, we be taught that one of many causes Ellie is offended with Joel is as a result of he lied to her about what occurred again in Salt Lake Metropolis with the Fireflies. However she’s additionally mad at him as a result of he took away the one factor she thought may give her life and immunity objective. “My life would have mattered, but you took that from me,” she says to him on their porch, in what seems to have been their final dialog.

We all know that Joel’s been formed by the guilt of not having the ability to save his daughter Sarah at first of the outbreak. For Ellie, I feel the loss that’s affected her essentially the most is Riley and the guilt of surviving their journey to that deserted mall. If she wasn’t immune, Ellie would have died that day together with her greatest good friend and old flame. As a result of she didn’t, she wanted one thing to assist justify why she’s nonetheless alive. What larger which means may somebody discover for his or her life in a world ravaged by a pandemic than to be the rationale humanity is ready to discover a remedy?

McNamara: I’m grateful for the episode if solely as a result of it gave my very own youngsters what they wished most — extra Pedro Pascal. (I miss him too however with a lot much less ardour.) However as you say, Tracy, survivor’s guilt is actual and now Ellie is eyeing one other emotional burden — Joel was killed for actions he took to save lots of her life.

Revisiting Ellie’s birthdays was very touching, bridging the adjustments in each characters. How the hard-edge Joel from Season 1 turned the softly anguished remedy affected person of Season 2. Why Ellie was so impolite and dismissive towards him. She knew all alongside that he had lied to her about Salt Lake Metropolis, and he suspected she knew — the presents, particularly the journey to the science and pure historical past museum, appeared equally motivated by love and penance.

On one among Ellie’s birthday’s, Joel takes her to a science and pure historical past museum.

(Liane Hentscher / HBO)

I additionally liked their time within the the house portion of the museum as a result of it underlined the vagaries of human historical past — this isn’t the primary superior civilization to fall, leaving ruins behind. Joel remembers when people traveled to the celebs (and had the sources to construct museums); for Ellie, a journey from Wyoming to Seattle is simply as fraught. They have been at all times basically time-travelers in every others lives.

However most vital for me, this episode resolved simply how Ellie had left it with Joel earlier than Abby ruined every part. The reality was lastly spoken — each Joel’s and Ellie’s. That she didn’t assume she may forgive him however she wished to attempt. That he was taken from her earlier than she may discover her technique to forgiveness should definitely drive among the rage, no?

Ali: OK, I formally really feel hard-hearted, particularly since we’re discussing an episode designed to plumb the characters’ and viewers’ feelings. I’m glad Season 2 is connecting with you each, and thousands and thousands extra HBO and Max subscribers. Or is it HBO Max? Or plain outdated HBO? Regardless, this spherical of the sequence will not be resonating with my grownup, parenting self or my internal sullen teen, i.e. the a part of my being that guides a lot of my rash selections and dictates my slouchy posture. That mentioned, I do love the chemistry between Ellie and Dina. Their love and fierce loyalty towards each other is a excessive level of Season 2. And it seems to be like they’re now going to be dad and mom.

Brown: As Ellie says, she’s going to be a dad! The best way Ellie and Dina’s relationship developed over the course of the season has been one among my favourite variations between the present and the sport. However talking of the sport, the birthday journey to the museum and the porch dialog the place Ellie tells Joel she desires to attempt to forgive him that Mary talked about are each large flashback moments immediately tailored from “The Last of Us Part II” with some minor adjustments. Within the recreation, Ellie and Joel spend time trying out a dinosaur exhibit earlier than attending to the house exploration exhibit, which I admit I’m just a little unhappy we didn’t get to see. And Ellie confronting Joel in regards to the reality of what occurred in Salt Lake is a separate second lengthy earlier than the porch dialog within the recreation.

Eugene (Joe Pantoliano) is shot by Joel after he’s bitten, breaking his promise to Ellie to let him stay to say goodbye to his spouse, Gail. It’s a change from the online game, the place the character dies of pure causes.

(Liane Hentscher / HBO)

One main distinction between “The Last of Us Part II” and the present is the storyline involving Eugene and Gail. The Eugene within the recreation was a resident of Jackson who lived out his life till he died of pure causes in his 70s, which is one thing the youthful era can solely dream of. Gail, alternatively, is an authentic character, and my response to her introduction was principally “hooray Catherine O’Hara, hooray therapy.” Catherine O’Hara is at all times a delight and it’s clear everyone dwelling on the earth of “The Last of Us” may use some remedy. However in Episode 6 we see that Eugene and Gail’s story additionally serves as a flashpoint in Joel and Ellie’s estrangement.

We already knew Joel had killed Eugene from his remedy session with Gail earlier within the season, however what did you consider that complete sequence, Mary? Did it have an effect on your understanding of Joel or Ellie in any approach?

McNamara: Properly, I’ve to say that was an instance of unhealthy parenting. The patrol has guidelines, robust however mandatory for the protection of the group. Ellie (who’s, howdy, freaking immune) wished to bend them. Traditional mother or father/youngster face-off. However as a substitute of simply saying “no” to her and “any last words?” to Eugene earlier than capturing him, Joel allowed her consider she was getting her approach, which was simply dumb. After all he was going to shoot Eugene; he needed to shoot Eugene. But it surely actually didn’t make sense to lie about it, particularly when the lie can be uncovered virtually immediately. Generally a mother or father simply must be the unhealthy man, even when it means making Catherine O’Hara actually mad at you.

And although I agree with you each in regards to the vitality of Ellie and Dina providing love instead of vengeance throughout their tour to Seattle, I want the writers may have discovered a technique to deliver O’Hara alongside.