With how emotional most of “Through The Valley” was, “The Last of Us” was due for a bit of respite. That’s not to say “The Path” is a conventional, somewhat low-grade transitional episode. Not in the slightest. The third episode displays incredible character work from Bella Ramsey, both in dialogue and from facial expressions. If anything, look at the first two episodes of season two as a prologue for what’s to come. We are posed an important question to ponder, echoing as we go through the post-Joel story and conclude (I guess in season three?). Is it worth paying the price of seeking revenge?
At the moment, it is for Abby. She finally killed the man who killed her father after five years of searching. We do not see Abby in the entirety of this episode, so there’s no way of gauging her emotions just yet. When Joel murdered many of the fireflies (Abby’s father included), that’s his karma. In turn, Abby’s karma is Ellie. “The Path” flashes forward three months later, where Jackson is still rebuilding after the massive attack due to the infected. Before that, we see two different reactions to Joel’s death. Tommy sits with his body in the morgue and wipes his arm with the broken watch. He has lost a niece and now his brother. Ellie wakes up screaming in the hospital because she was an unfortunate witness to how violently Joel died.
The Last of Us / Photo Credit: Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
Anybody who has gone through a traumatic experience usually wants to “I’m fine” their way through it. It’s easier to confront the deep melancholy in unpacking why we are not fine. Ellie just so happens to be an extremely charismatic liar. Her sarcasm usually carries her past anybody prying for information about her feelings. “The Path” utilizes a great device by showing her emotions through scenes where Ellie isn’t talking – whether it’s walking out of the hospital, going into Joel’s closet and seeing his jackets, and stopping by his grave and putting the coffee beans down. When you lose someone close, there are experiences and memories that only you and that person have. It makes sense that we have these moments with Ellie because of how possessive she is of Joel’s memory. Think of everything they went through together.
When discussing their last conversation with Gail, Ellie is likely lying. If that’s the last memory of the person you love, why would you want to tell someone else? Ellie knows what Gail is referring to when she says Joel felt like he both wronged and saved her. (It’s also true that Ellie has saved Joel both physically and emotionally.) As far as the complication goes, it’s a shame Ellie and Joel will never get to untangle that together.
The Last of Us / Photo Credit: Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
Ellie is not the only one who has experienced loss, and that’s where “The Path” widens the lens of its scope. Most of Jackson has lost someone close to them, and it’s a big ask for them to go on a revenge mission for one man. While Ellie gives a great “rah rah” speech at the council meeting, you can tell her heart isn’t in it. But you have to sell people on something, and justice would be a good litmus test. Going back to the price to be paid for revenge, the world existing within “The Last of Us” is full of danger. Why would you seek it when there’s a high probability you’ll either be infected or killed by a rogue militia of humans? While the people of the settlement have a clear affinity for Joel, they have not only lost their brothers, sisters, and others, Jackson is still vulnerable.
Pair that with Ellie not having much of a plan other than “let’s hunt Abby and her friends down and kill them.” She packs Joel’s old gun and is about to set off. Thank goodness, Dina and Seth (who would have thought) come in with a combination of strategy and supplies. Ellie surely has survival skills, but that’s not enough to face what’s out there without Joel.
The episode also adds a layer to Ellie and Dina’s relationship, introducing some complications. It’s not necessarily a storybook affair, as the show reveals Dina’s slightly manipulative side. It’s clear Dina has feelings for Ellie, but she’s not ready to fully commit to her in the way Ellie would like. The questions surrounding the kiss at the dance and the fact that Dina went back to Jesse have to feel like a gut punch for Ellie. She’s dealing with the death of her father figure and a friend from the first season (that Ellie doesn’t mention), whom she also had feelings for. Now, the girl she’s falling for is not yet comfortable with reciprocating those feelings. Yet there are filtrations abound (“I wasn’t that high”).
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If there was one sticking point of confusion in this episode, it was the introduction of the religious group. For those who have played “The Last of Us: Part II,” you know who they are and what conflict is being teased. If you’re watching this season as a first-timer, you’ll get the basics of how they communicate and a glimpse into the religious ideology they believe in. When the father says “wolves,” it can be deduced that they conflict with the Washington Liberation Front. Things get a bit murky when Ellie and Dina come across the gaggle of dead bodies in the woods, and the lone intepretation it was in the hands of Abby and her friends. Seeing a child dead without a thought is disturbing, as the look on Ellie’s face shows.
As far as feeling sympathy for the entire group, we don’t know who they are in the context of the world as a whole. The reason why Joel’s death hit so hard is that we got to know him throughout an entire season. This slaughter may be more meaningful once we get a sense of who these people are and those who oppose them, outside of blatant cruelty.
Overall, “The Fall” did what it needed to do. It was an active funeral and mourning service for a beloved and complex character, helping the show move on from Jackson. Ellie has to navigate a world without Joel beside her, trading places with the one who killed the person she loved.
The Girl With The Braid?
- In case the loss of Joel hasn’t hit you hard enough, the title card now only has Ellie’s shadow.
- When Ellie goes home after leaving he hospital, one of the saddest TLOU songs is playing as the score. That would be Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle’s “Unbroken.”
