This review includes spoilers for “The Last of Us,” Season 2, Episode 6.
The biggest question up for debate in the aftermath of the season one finale, “Look For The Light,” is whether Joel is correct in what he did during the (let’s say) “siege on Salt Lake City.” The game allows for ambiguity because it doesn’t cover as much of the in-between backstory. The Last of Us‘s penultimate episode, “The Price,” shares the 16th birthday celebration at the museum and the porch conversation with its digital counterpart. We know Ellie is extremely intelligent, so we know she knows Joel is not telling her the truth. That ties into the other vital questions this episode strives to answer: when does Ellie ever find out (she already confirms this in last week’s confrontation with Nora), and how does her relationship with Joel get so strained?
“The Price” covers the evolution of Joel and Ellie’s relationship throughout birthdays, with one major decision roping in a secondary character. Good times existed, but the ghosts of what happened that day always weighed things down. There’s an added emotionality in which it plays out this story, in which the game did just as well from another standpoint. For fans following both the series and its digital origins — or even those taking a break between episodes to unwind with something different like 888-starz.cc, where storylines take a backseat to strategy and thrill — the emotional divide caused by Joel’s decision remains a source of intense discussion. Through flashback storytelling, I would gather that people will still be divided about Joel’s decision. On the one hand, his murder of Abby’s father stripped the world of a cure, a girl of a father, Ellie of her choice, and inadvertently drove members to a more violent version of their militia group. His actions were selfish, but also well-intentioned from a parent’s perspective. The fact of the matter is that people exist with various degrees of what “the right choice” is.
“The Last of Us” / Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
Joel’s already lost a daughter and went through so much with Ellie trying to get her to Salt Lake. Is there a possibility the cure doesn’t work at all? Yes. So, there’s a double-edged sword for Joel, losing either for nothing or experiencing a world watching a second daughter die. At that point in the base, Joel has the power to do something to prevent it. Now that we get to see a glimpse of what Joel and Tommy’s early life was with an abusive father (played by Tony Dalton), you see the guiding factor. It’s to do better than the previous men in his lineage. Joel does this to an extreme degree – a big overcorrection, if we should say.
As hard-edged as he is with Ellie, this episode shows a softness within him that can only arise from a parent’s love. He’s making the alterations to the acoustic guitar, smuggling Legos to Seth to get birthday cakes, and getting the cassette tape of the Apollo 15 launch for that special birthday present. Joel even tells her, “Enjoy just being a kid for now.” Much of this season (and The Last of Us in general) shows that the carefree nature of being young is gone. When Ellie and Riley try to have fun in “Left Behind,” Riley gets infected and dies. In trying to be her whole, authentic self with Dina, here comes Seth and his bigotry. Even as she tries to move past what’s eating her up inside with Joel, the burning questions persist, and the environment serves as a reminder of what happened. The cure inside of her is a curse; with no ability to help anyone, and also the source of losing two parents (her mother physically and Joel emotionally).
The Last of Us / Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
Parents impart some choices on their children because they are either trying to protect them or steer them in a better direction – whether short-sighted or not. Joel doesn’t understand and is blinded to Ellie’s growing sense of queerness. It’s a point of contention when she’s in her room getting the tattoo from Cait, that he tries to make up for years later at the New Year’s party. When Ellie burns herself, Joel says he understands – but is choosing not to believe the worst about Ellie’s obsession with moths and that symbolism. The coloring at the end of Eugene’s story is the straw that breaks the camel’s back (and a beautiful deviation from the game). It’s not only the defining moment; it’s all the moving pieces before it. Ellie practices the questions she wants to ask Joel about Salt Lake City. There’s a hope they’ll be in a better place if they talk it out. While on patrol, Joel says they should go back to traveling like the old days. Ellie quickly rebuffs, saying, “I’m not your kid, I’m your partner.” But later recounts what Joel taught her, “I got back and you got mine.”
The discontent during Ellie’s 17th birthday could be chalked up to that teen-parent dynamic of nobody getting along. That’s the usual business of growing into an adult in a different world. Pre-teens are trying to figure out the world, and they want space from their parents. Parents are also learning to let go slowly. With Joel and Ellie, there’s a ticking time bomb at the center. “You don’t own anything” from Ellie hits much harder because it’s more than teenage tantrums — just like the house they live in, Ellie was placed in Joel’s care to get to a destination.
Eugene’s fate is a battle between Joel’s logical brain and Ellie’s empathy. It was also the last chance for Joel to absolve himself, potentially. When he tells Ellie, “I promise,” she knows that look. However, you want to believe the best about the people you love, so she gives him one last chance. No telling how long it would take Eugene to turn once they returned to Jackson. Despite that, Joel made a judgment call for what we can interpret as the greater good. But he again lied to Ellie, and her vindication was to tell Gail the truth about what happened. When riding back, Joel tries to tailor the story to what he thinks is the right way to break it. Ellie is pretending; they’ve been doing that for years.
The Last of Us / Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
The final scene on the porch is tweaked from the game with a couple of different lines and more emotion from Joel and Ellie. This is the pinnacle of two people knowing that things can never return to what they were before Salt Lake City. Thus, a new normal might hurt just as much. For Joel, Ellie’s alive, but “the price” is losing her forever. It’s like a death. Ellie finally sees the man she loves confirm what she knew in her gut.
Writers Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, and Craig Mazin add a few lines in this scene that give a bit more brevity than the game. Ellie says, “You took that from everyone,” after saying, “I was supposed to die. That was my purpose. My life would have f- – -ing mattered.” Joel speaks about the price he has to pay before he says he’d do it all over again. The significant additions are “because you’re selfish” and “because I love you in a way you can’t understand.”
In the game, Ellie says, “I can’t forgive you, but I would like to try without that exchange.” Given its placement, this has a slightly different meaning. “The Price” not only makes you sad because Joel and Ellie never got to try to heal together, but Joel completely lets his guard down and falls apart. He feels Ellie slipping away and opens up his heart. Ellie might understand that her life does matter outside of just being the means to an end because she has a father who loves her. (and later, a partner who does).
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“The Price” is a beautifully orchestrated television episode that shows how powerful themes from a video game can be further developed into something furthering thematic conversations. The second season of “The Last of Us” revolves around revenge, vengeance, and how nobody’s hands are clean. In this episode, even an act of love is violence. Joel is dead, and Ellie is set on this course of avenging his memory just like Abby did with her father. It was nice to see Joel and Ellie laugh together again, even if it was for a moment. A harsh realization is that person Ellie died with Joel. Killing Abby may not even fulfill that void. Whether it be FEDRA headquarters, Jackson, Salt Lake City, or Seattle, the movement towards a personal or greater good always have a cost.
Goodnight Uncle Grumpy
- He had limited screentime, but he hats off to Joe Pantoliano as Eugene. Of course you want to see your most precious loved one before you die and it sucks he never got the chance to.
