The Last of Us – The Path

By: Kelly Kearney

Last week’s brutal killing of  beloved character Joel left many fans—especially those unfamiliar with the game—shocked, angry, and, like Ellie this week, out for revenge. As if Ellie is responding to the fans’ cries, she, along with her best friend Dina, set out to find Abby and the Wolves to make them pay for what they did to Joel. Meanwhile, Jackson reels from a devastating breach by the infected, who wreaked havoc on the town. While Ellie is driven by vengeance, most of the townspeople are focused on rebuilding and bracing for the next inevitable attack. Those two priorities collide this week, but as Ellie’s hunger for justice sends her out West, where this story truly begins.

Jackson Stands, but Joel has Fallen

We open on Tommy (Gabriel Luna) cleaning Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) body preparing it for burial. He is trying to hold back the pain while mourning the loss of another family member. He whispers to “say hello to Sara,” the daughter Joel lost at the opening of the series. It’s a heartbreaking goodbye to the man who sacrificed so much for both his daughter and the teenager he once referred to as “Cargo,” who later loved like she was his own. Now, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is all Tommy has left of Joel, and he will protect her like his brother would want him to.

As for Ellie, she wakes up in the hospital three months after the attack on Jackson, haunted by the trauma of what she saw in that cabin. The brutal murder of the only man she ever knew as a father jolts her from sleep, screaming, night after night. It’s a nightmare she tries to bury deep down while convincing the doctors she’s well enough to return home. Her injury—inflicted by one of Abby’s crew—was serious enough to keep her bedridden and during that time, she remained too broken, too heavily medicated, and too emotionally numb to even begin to process her grief.

When she’s finally well enough to return home, the reality of Joel’s absence hits her like a freight train. Reminders of him are everywhere. In one particularly heart-wrenching scene, she enters his closet, clutches his worn jacket, and breathes in his scent. As the tears stream down her face, a choked, nearly silent wail escapes her—a mix of devastation and white-hot fury aimed at the woman who took Joel from her. Abby didn’t just kill Joel; she robbed Ellie of any chance to make amends. Their last interaction had been at the New Year’s Eve dance, when Joel had stepped in to defend her after Seth, the town’s resident homophobe, insulted her for kissing Dina (Isabela Merced). Ellie, already on edge, lashed out—humiliating Joel and herself in front of everyone. She yelled that she didn’t need his help, but what he likely heard was that she didn’t want it. The pain Joel felt from that, Ellie will never be able to make up for, and that is a loss she cannot move on from. Now, all she has left are regrets—and a searing anger that begins to shape itself into a mission for payback.

Dina, who cares deeply for Ellie, kept quiet about what she knew throughout Ellie’s hospitalization. She never once mentioned the information she had about Joel’s killers, as she knew Ellie too well and her friend would’ve ripped out her IV and stormed out of the hospital, hell-bent on revenge. Dina couldn’t let that happen, but now, with Ellie recovering, she is ready to hear the truth–even if it makes her angry with Dina for keeping it a secret all of this time.

Before passing out that night, Dina had heard a name: Abby, and the patches on their jackets identified them as a trained militia group called The Wolves. Thanks to Eugene’s old Firefly knowledge and a bit of digging, Dina suspects this group is based in Seattle.

On the Road to Justice

With a plan forming, Ellie and Dina approach Tommy to explain their idea: gather a small posse, track down Abby, and make her pay for what she did. While Tommy supports their plan, Jackson is still a democracy, and he warns them that Maria (Rutina Wesley) will insist on a vote. The town is still recovering from its attack; the walls barely held the infected back and fire tore through Jackson, as the dead littered the streets and piled up outside the gates. Resources are scarce, and able-bodied fighters are needed at home—not on a vengeance mission. Besides, Joel is one man, and the townspeople all lost someone that day. Many are not willing to lose more.

Everything we know about Ellie says she is a determined young woman. She will go through official channels to honor the process—but regardless of the outcome, she has already made her decision. The night before the council meeting, Jesse (Young Mazino)—who has a vote—offers Ellie some advice. He tells her that the council won’t support a mission driven by anger and revenge. “Organize your thoughts, write them down, and then read them out loud tomorrow,” he says. Ellie thinks he is taking a crack at her ability to read, but that isn’t why he said it. She is angry and the council isnt “gonna vote for angry.” This is a hint Jesse wouldn’t vote for a suicide mission fueled only by grief—but he also leaves the door open to the possibility f she sells it to the other voters. He is Team Ellie, but he is also Team Keeping Ellie and Jackson Safe.

The following day, Ellie takes his advice, and at the council vote, she isn’t the only one allowed to speak their piece. The townsfolk also voice their opinions. Some believe mercy is what separates Jackson from the raiders and murderers and can’t support a mission based on vengeance. Others fear their collective resources are tight, and losing both food, supplies, and sixteen able-bodied fighters to this payback-posse, puts the entire town at risk. It seems it is hard for most to see past their own fear and grief to understand Ellie’s. Her pain is not greater than their own, and asking them to sacrifice more, isn’t a popular request.

Then, a surprise: Seth (Robert John Burke)—yes, that Seth—interjects with his typical angry but pragmatic opinions. The same man who once insulted Ellie and took a punch from Joel now supports her cause. He calls the town weak for refusing to fight back. “They came into our house,” he says. “They took one of ours!” He sees them as doormats, who would welcome the killers of their family members with forgiveness, and that is not–in his eyes, justice. Without consequences he warns, “They’ll come back because we didn’t make ‘em pay. And when they come back, they’ll be laughing. And you’ll deserve it.” Ellie, stunned by his support, stands and delivers her written speech laying out all the reasons she sees this mission as based in justice, not anger. Her speech is powerful, her emotions–controlled, as she insists this isn’t just for Joel, but for everyone. She is doing this for all of them. She wants the people of Jackson to know she has their backs and will stand up and fight for justice when injustice breaks down their doors. Everyone in the audience is impressed, and it is hard to turn their backs on the idea of defending their people. If Jackson was built on the laws and values of the old world, then even Maria knows that justice is what separates civilization from chaos.

While moving, Ellie’s speech doesn’t negate the risk Jackson would face if raiders arrived at their gates. The council votes no, and Ellie, who swore she’d honor the process, is denied the justice she believes Joel deserves. Without a reaction, she nods appearing to agree with their decision but anyone who knows Ellie knows this isn’t the end, it’s just a pause at the beginning of her adventure out West.

Seattle

Later, Tommy questions whether keeping her close is the right choice. He knows Ellie. She’s impulsive, and her sudden willingness to follow the rules doesn’t feel right.

When he voices these doubts to Gail (Catherine O’Hara)– the town therapist, she doesn’t sugarcoat her response. Gail sees beneath people’s masks–it’s what she does for a living and she is very good at it–even if she is stoned during her sessions. She knows human nature, and with Ellie, she sees a natural-born liar. Just like Joel did after Sara died,Tommy is afraid Ellie is making justifications for her revenge. He doesn’t want her to go down the same path since Ellie learned a lot from Joel, maybe even his ways of lashing out. Gail disagrees, as in her line of work she has learned that humans are a combination of a little nurture and a lot of nature. “If she is on a path, it’s not one Joel put her on.” Their paths run parallel and no matter how much Tommy wants to protect her, Gail says, “some people just can’t be saved.”.

After a brief, ominous encounter with a new group of religious zealots called the Seraphites—hammer-wielding wanderers on a divine mission from a long-dead prophet—we cut back to Ellie, who has cried her last tear. She is done grieving for Joel and now, she’s ready. As she quietly packs for the journey to Seattle, there’s a knock at her door. It’s Dina, and of course, she knows what Ellie is planning—because Ellie is terrible at planning. That’s why Dina, who loved Joel like a father herself, has already drawn up a detailed travel plan. Routes, supply lists,and intel gathered from quiet supporters who still believe in justice and Ellie’s mission seeking it. Ellie shoves Joel’s pistol in her waistband and the two get ready to hit the road together.

That night as they prepare to sneak out they are met by Seth, who donated a horse and a better gun than the rifle Ellie managed to swipe. They have enough food, water, and even a tent to carry them all the way to the West Coast, as long as they follow the river and steer clear of any people they might encounter along the way.

As if he knew Ellie would head to Seattle regardless of what the council’s decision was, Tommy let it slip that they buried Joel a few miles outside of town. It’s the first stop Ellie and Dina make in a beautiful sweeping cinematic scene with nothing but miles of sky and dusty desert. Ellie kneels at Joel’s grave and leaves him a few coffee beans as a reminder of their time together. It’s a heartfelt and touching moment that only adds to her determination to find Abby and make her pay for what she’s taken from her.

Later on down the road the two come across the Seraphites who are no longer on foot towards whatever resettlement they were looking for. The bodies are strewn throughout the forest and when Dina spots a young redheaded girl (Makena Whitlock) dead next to presumably her father, she runs off into the bushes to vomit. Ellie has a stronger stomach and she takes stock of the whole scene realizing that whatever killed these people might not be far away.

After a long track across the West and a few late night flirty whispers about that kiss on New Year’s Eve – one which Ellie rates a six on a scale Dina assumed would be a ten, the two friends finally set eyes on Seattle, and all of its crumbling architectural wonder. It’s breathtaking, in scope and size, and dazzles the two weary travelers who notice the once bustling city seems very quiet. Dina thinks this means there aren’t many Wolves to deal with, and Ellie cracks a joke that there will be even less when they are through with them.  As they make their way downtown, we see how wrong they are. High above Seattle in a skyscraper, Manny (Danny Alvarez) orders a group of soldiers wearing the WLF badges, along with military tanks, to patrol the city looking for any breach in their heavily guarded sanctuary. Typically, two against an army are bad odds, but for Ellie vengeance is a motivator and justice is worth dying for.