Joel and Ellie cross a “river of death” and stumble upon an unexpected oasis in the wilderness.
Because of that, they’re not locked in such a defensive crouch.
Some infected, some not."
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay on ‘The Last of Us’.HBO
If Tommy’s west of the river, he’s gone.
Skeptical, they decide to take their chances.
He blames the cold air, but Ellie suspects there’s more to it.
Gabriel Luna in season 1, episode 6 of ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
“If you’re dead, I’m f—ed,” she says.
But they march on towards the “river of death.”
Joel might like to own a ranch and raise sheep someday.
Rutina Wesley’s Maria investigates the arrival of Joel and Ellie on ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Ellie wants to go to the moon like her hero, Sally Ride.
“Marlene’s no fool,” Joel says.
“If she says she can do it, she can do it.”
Joel tells Ellie to sleep, saying he’ll keep watch throughout the night.
The next morning, he’s mad when he realizes he dozed off and Ellie covered for him.
He’s not mad at her.
She handled herself well.
He’s mad at himself because his cracks are starting to show.
An Infected-smelling dog is with them and its teeth are very sharp.
It smells Joel, who’s fine, then turns its snout to Ellie.
All Ellie has to worry about is the slobber from its kisses.
When Joel says he’s looking for his brother, a flash of recognition crosses one woman’s eyes.
She asks his name.
It’s clear he’s in the right place.
But there’s no FEDRA beyond the gates, nor is there a bloodthirsty warlord like Kathleen.
This community is clean.
There’s even a Christmas tree lighting up the thoroughfare.
Nobody’s burning bodies or dangling from nooses here.
Electricity, courtesy of the nearby dam, hums.
Even the plumbing works.
“This place actually f—ing works,” Joel marvels.
It’s called Jackson.
Joel sees Tommy, who looks healthy and trim.
They hug, fiercely.
It’s been a long time.
Who on Earth is safer than the people of Jackson?
But, as Tommy puts it, a “bad reputation doesn’t mean you’re bad.”
Tommy elaborates on this when he and Joel split off for a drink.
“Am I the wrong people?”
Well, yes and no.
Joel and Tommy’s violent past resurfaces as Tommy brings up their old methods of survival.
“I gotta be more careful,” Tommy says.
This throws a wrench in Joel’s plans for Ellie.
It’s about a week’s ride, he says, and it’s not an easy one.
Joel wants Tommy along for that ride, but Tommy refuses.
An angry Joel says he and Ellie will be out of their hair by morning.
Ellie, meanwhile, gets a shower, a jacket, and a haircut courtesy of Maria.
Maria also gives her a menstrual cup, which Ellie calls the “weirdest gift ever.”
Maria, who was an assistant district attorney prior to the Infected, explains that Kevin was her son.
Sarah, meanwhile, was Joel’s daughter and Tommy’s niece.
This is new information for Ellie.
Maria, as Tommy hinted, is not thrilled that Joel is back in Tommy’s life.
She’s also concerned for Ellie.
“Be careful who you put your faith in,” she says.
“The only people who can betray us are the ones we trust.”
His health troubles, he says, are born of fear.
“My heart feels like it stops,” he says.
“I’m just gonna get her killed, I know it.”
Joel’s fears propel him to ask Tommy if he’ll take Ellie to Colorado himself.
“It’s why you took off on me, right?
To make up for the things we did?
Well, here’s your chance to bring your kid into a better world,” Joel says.
“It’s the last thing I’ll ever ask of you.”
Tommy, moved by Joel’s brokenness, says he’ll take her at dawn.
When Joel meets up with Ellie, she knows about his conversation with Tommy.
“If you’re going to ditch me, ditch me,” she says.
I’m not her, you know."
“Come dawn,” he says, “we’re going our separate ways.”
But Joel’s there when Tommy and Ellie meet in the stables the next morning.
He wants to give Ellie a choice, and she makes it quickly.
“Let’s go,” she says, shoving her bag into his arms.
As they navigate the campus, he tells her he wanted to be a singer when he was young.
He even promises to sing for her someday.
Unfortunately, no Fireflies are in sight.
Moments later, they hear raiders outside.
Ellie helps him get on their horse and they gallop away from the raiders.
Ellie fruitlessly tries to shake him awake.
