The sixth episode of The Last of Us Season 2 premiered on 19 May, bringing Pedro Pascal back into the narrative - despite his character’s death in the main timeline. Apart from the final scene, the entire episode consists of flashbacks depicting Joel and Ellie’s time together in Jackson after Joel rescues her from the Firefly hospital in Salt Lake City. From bonding over a museum trip and guitar-playing to Ellie’s realisation that Joel could lie to her face, the episode delves into their fractured relationship and the events that led to Ellie’s coldness towards Joel. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: From Joel’s Return to a Tragic Demise – 5 Events We Expect To See Happen in Final Two Episodes (SPOILER ALERT).

The episode reaffirms the masterstroke of casting Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, with Pascal delivering an Emmy-worthy performance.

Structurally, the episode closely mirrors the flashback interludes from The Last of Us Part II, with one major deviation: a cameo-driven alteration in how Ellie uncovers Joel’s lie about Salt Lake City.

What Happens in 'TLOU' S2 Episode 6?

After their museum visit on Ellie’s 15th birthday, Joel and Ellie return to Jackson, where she spots fireflies (the insects) - a subtle hint that she doubts Joel’s account of Salt Lake City.

On her 19th birthday, Joel takes Ellie on her first patrol, where they discover two commune members attacked by the infected. One is already dead, while the other - Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), Gail’s husband - has been bitten. Joel prepares to shoot him, but Eugene pleads for a final meeting with Gail. Ellie, believing there’s still time before he turns, convinces Joel to honour Eugene’s last wish. Joel reluctantly agrees, promising to wait, and instructs Ellie to fetch the horses.

However, upon her return, Ellie finds that Joel has already taken Eugene to the lake’s edge and executed him. Betrayed by his broken promise - mirrored when she reveals the truth to Gail, who slaps Joel - Ellie realises Joel also lied about Salt Lake City. This fracture lingers until the night before Joel’s death, nine months later.

Inside 'The Last of Us' Season 2 Episode 6:

The episode revisits the New Year’s Eve party (unseen in the premiere), where Ellie lashes out at Joel. Later that night, as Joel plays guitar alone on his porch, Ellie confronts him. After discussing the party and her relationship with Dina, she demands the truth about Salt Lake City, vowing never to speak to him again if he lies. Joel finally confesses: there was no raider invasion at the Firefly hospital - he slaughtered everyone to save her. He admits he’d do it all over again, insisting she’d understand his choice if she ever had a child. Though Ellie declares she may never forgive him, she expresses a desire to mend their relationship - a hope tragically cut short. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: From Dina-Ellie Sex Scene to Horde Attack in Jackson; 5 Major ‘Game-To-Screen’ Changes That Pedro Pascal’s HBO Series Adopts in Episode 2.

What Happens in 'The Last of Us Part II' Game?

During a routine patrol, Joel and Ellie enter an abandoned restaurant where they discover the remains of two runaway teenagers from Jackson - Sidney, dead for a long time and now a skeleton, and her boyfriend Adam, who has turned into an Infected. A letter found at the scene reveals their tragic story: after escaping Jackson, they were bitten and took refuge in the restaurant before deciding to end their lives. However, the next page, written solely by Adam, confesses that after killing Sidney, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through, leading to his infection.

Ellie wonders whether things might have been different if they had been immune, prompting her to question Joel again about the events at the Firefly hospital. Joel, however, repeats his lie - claiming there were other immune individuals and that no cure existed.

Watch the Scene From 'The Last of Us Part II':

This scene was omitted from the series, but another pivotal moment in the game further exposes Joel’s deception before his eventual confession. Ellie secretly travels to Salt Lake City and discovers the Fireflies have abandoned their base. There, she finds a tape recorder left by a Firefly member, who recounts their pursuit of "the smuggler and the girl" but admits there is no hope for a cure after the death of the only surgeon capable of creating a vaccine. This confirms Ellie’s suspicions about Joel’s lies.

When Joel arrives to bring her home, Ellie confronts him, and he finally admits the truth: the Fireflies would have killed her to develop a cure, so he intervened to save her. Devastated and furious, Ellie struggles to reconcile this betrayal.

The porch scene plays out nearly identically in the game, though it lacks Joel’s confession or his remark that Ellie might understand his actions better if she had a child of her own (a prediction that may prove false if the series follows the game’s storyline). However, Joel does insist that, given the chance, he would make the same choice again to save her life.

Joel and Ellie's Last Scene At Porch on 'The Last of Us Part II'

With only one episode remaining in The Last of Us Season 2 - releasing on May 25 (May 26 in India) - fans are eager to see how the story unfolds. Season 3 will likely explore events from Abby’s perspective (played by Kaitlyn Dever). Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us is available in the US on HBO Max and in India on  JioHotstar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2025 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).