Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us season 2, episode 6!

she killed Joel in episode 2. The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 is a change of pace, however. The episode breaks from the season's main story, with it instead focusing on several different flashbacks from Joel and Ellie's life.

The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 opens with a flashback to 1983, showing a scene between a young Joel and Tommy and their father. Then, the episode jumps to the years between The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2. Each of these flashback scenes takes place on one of Ellie's birthdays. The first sees Joel give Ellie a guitar, the second sees Joel take Ellie to a museum, the third sees Ellie get a tattoo, and the fourth sees Ellie go on patrol with Joel. Then, a flashback scene set after season 2, episode 1 takes place, showing Joel confess the truth to Ellie.

Joel Told Ellie The Truth About Salt Lake City After The New Year's Eve Dance

She Knows What Really Happened With The Fireflies

Throughout The Last of Us season 2, it has been a mystery whether or not Ellie knows about Joel's big lie. At the end of The Last of Us season 1, Joel kills the Fireflies to save Ellie. He then lies to her about what happened, with her not knowing the truth about the events that occurred in Salt Lake City. In the years since The Last of Us season 1's finale, Ellie has grown suspicious about Salt Lake City. She has begun to notice holes in Joel's story, with her even having a list of questions about the Fireflies that she reads in episode 6.

Before Ellie got a chance to ask Joel about the Fireflies, the events of the Eugene flashback took place, leading to their falling out. However, Joel's assault on Seth at the New Year's Eve dance gave Ellie another chance. Episode 6 reveals that Ellie saw Joel sitting on the porch shortly after the dance, with her deciding to ask him about the Fireflies. Ellie confronts him, leading to Joel finally telling the truth. Ellie says that she wants to forgive Joel, but she doesn't know if she can. Unfortunately, Joel is killed before Ellie ever gets the chance to.

The Significance Of Joel's 1983 Flashback, Explained

How It Connects To Ellie

The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 opens with a flashback to Joel's childhood. Joel is in trouble, with him telling Tommy that he is afraid that their father is going to beat him. Eventually, Joel's father arrives home. Joel's father tells a story about how Joel's grandfather once punched him in the mouth, breaking his jaw. Joel's father its that he does sometimes hit Joel, but that he is better than Joel's grandfather. He then says that he hopes Joel is a little better than him.

Joel repeats this sentiment at the end of the episode. After telling the truth to Ellie, Joel its that he messed up. He then says that he hopes Ellie does a little better than him if she ever has a kid. This shows the impression that Joel's father had on him. He doesn't expect Ellie to be perfect, but he does hope that she learns from his mistakes and improves.

Joel's "Future Days" Song Explains Ellie's Song In Episode 5

It Acts As A Belated Set-Up

The first birthday flashback scene in The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 sees Joel gift Ellie a guitar. He decides to teach her how to play, with him performing the Pearl Jam song "Future Days." This acts as a belated setup to a scene from The Last of Us season 2, episode 5, in which Ellie plays "Future Days" on guitar in the theater. This flashback reveals that the song has a special place in Ellie's heart, with her playing it as a reminder of Joel.

Why Joel & Ellie’s Museum Trip Was So Important

What Was Joel's Real Gift?

The next flashback in the episode sees Joel take Ellie on a surprise trip to an abandoned museum. This flashback is ripped straight from The Last of Us Part II, with both versions of the scene playing out similarly. In the scene, Joel tells Ellie to get in a space capsule. He gives her a tape that he found that features audio of a real rocket launch. Ellie listens to it while sitting in the capsule, closing her eyes and imagining that she is really launching into space. By giving Ellie this gift, Joel allows Ellie to actually be a kid for once, giving her a brief reprieve from the horrors of the Infected world.

How Eugene's Death Caused Ellie & Joel's Falling Out

Why Did Ellie Tell The Truth?

A later flashback scene sees Joel finally take Ellie on patrol. While they are out, they get alerted that a group was attacked by a horde of Infected. Joel and Ellie race to check it out, where they discover that the group is dead. The only survivor is Eugene, who has been bitten. Eugene is still in the early stages of the virus, with him asking if he can be taken back to Jackson to say goodbye to his wife. Ellie says yes, but Joel disagrees. Eventually, Joel tells Ellie to go get the horses, with him promising that they will wait for her. While Ellie is gone, Joel shoots Eugene.

This is incredibly upsetting to Ellie, but things only get worse. When they get back to Jackson, Joel lies about what happened to Eugene's wife, Gail. Ellie then tells Gail the truth, causing Gail to be upset with Joel. Ellie is so angry that she refuses to talk to Joel, with this being what caused their falling out. The rift between Ellie and Joel is still there in The Last of Us season 2, episode 1, with the events surrounding Eugene's death being what caused their relationship to fall apart.

How Ellie Escaped Lakehill & Made It Back To The Theater

Did The Spores Help?

The final scene in The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 catches back up to the main timeline of the show, with Ellie walking through Seattle and arriving at the theater. This scene takes place after the end of The Last of Us season 2, episode 5, in which Ellie beats Nora to death with a pipe. These shots mean that Ellie managed to escape Lakehill Seattle Hospital and find her way back to the theater off-screen, which is surprising considering that the WLF and the Seraphites knew she was there.

In the game, it simply cuts to Ellie arriving at the theater after killing Nora as well, meaning that it is never revealed what was involved in her escaping. Since she is in the spore-infested basement, it is possible that this provided cover for Ellie to escape, as nobody can enter it to find her. However, since only a few shots of Ellie's return are seen in episode 6, more details about Ellie's escape from Lakehill could be provided in The Last of Us season 2, episode 7.