With all the mayhem happening in the present involving Ellie, this episode takes us back to the past to uncover the backstory of Joel and Ellie—and how their relationship began to unravel.

The episode opens with a young Joel talking with his father, trying to protect his brother from being beaten. Joel’s father sits down with him over a beer, explaining why he is the way he is, hoping that one day Joel will understand and, ultimately, be a better father than he ever was. This moment sets the foundation for the kind of man—and father—Joel would become in the future.

Joel and Ellie’s relationship evolved over the years following the events of season 1 as they settled into life in Jackson. Joel tried to step into the father figure role, planning Ellie’s birthday with a handmade cake and building her a guitar. While Joel works on the guitar, Ellie arrives home with Tommy, revealing a burn mark on her arm. She explains she wanted to cover up her bite mark to feel normal, even wearing short sleeves again. Joel listens and consoles her.

Later, Ellie wakes from a nap to find Joel has left her birthday gifts. They celebrate together, and Joel presents her with the guitar. Before giving it to her, she asks him to play something. Joel performs a song expressing that if he were to ever lose Ellie, he would lose himself—illustrating just how deeply he loves her and how much he sees her as his daughter. As they bond over the guitar, Joel assures Ellie he understands her decision to burn herself, reaffirming his constant support.

A year later, Joel surprises Ellie with a visit to an abandoned museum for her birthday. Ellie is thrilled—she’s never experienced a museum or had a proper childhood. As they explore, they find a mock spaceship, and Joel encourages Ellie to pretend to be an astronaut, allowing her a rare moment of joy and wonder. Afterward, Ellie notices fireflies flying around a tree, which triggers doubts and reflections about what really happened when she and Joel visited the Fireflies seeking a cure.

Time jumps forward again. Ellie is now 17 and seeking more independence. Joel walks in on her and another girl being intimate, also noticing a new tattoo on her arm. Concerned, he confronts Ellie. They argue heatedly—Ellie snaps, reminding Joel that he isn’t her father. Joel’s invasion of her space pushes her to move into the garage. Though he initially resists, Joel eventually agrees and helps make the garage livable for her.

Now living in the garage, Ellie practices asking Joel the truth about what happened with the Fireflies. During a joint patrol, Joel receives a radio message: Eugene needs help. They rush to him and discover he’s been bitten. Joel wants to kill him immediately, but Eugene begs to see his wife one last time. Ellie also pleads with Joel to honor the request. Joel agrees—but instead of taking Eugene back, he leads him to a cliff and executes him.

Joel and Ellie bring Eugene’s body back to Jackson and inform his wife, Gail. Joel lies, telling her Eugene took his own life to spare her the pain. But Ellie interjects with the truth, angering Gail and causing her to storm off. This moment deepens the rift between Joel and Ellie, reinforcing Ellie’s growing belief that Joel has also lied about what happened with the Fireflies.

Nine months later, during the Jackson barn party, we see the events unfold from Joel’s perspective. He jumps in to defend Ellie from Seth, and the pain in his eyes is evident—Ellie is still angry at him. That night, Joel plays his guitar alone on the porch. Ellie initially walks past but doubles back and initiates a conversation. She tells Joel she wants to be treated as an independent woman and confronts him one final time about the Fireflies. Joel admits the only way they could’ve extracted a cure from Ellie was by killing her—and he couldn’t let that happen because he loves her. Ellie is heartbroken and says she can’t forgive him, but she’s willing to try—leaving the door open for their relationship to begin healing.

The episode ends in the present, with Ellie returning to the theater alongside Dina and Jesse. She is visibly traumatized by the dark path she took in her quest for vengeance.

This was a powerful flashback episode that filled in crucial emotional history between Joel and Ellie, showing how their bond evolved, strained, and slowly began to mend. Pedro Pascal delivers a masterful performance as Joel, capturing the essence of a man shaped by his past and defined by his love for Ellie. The episode beautifully illustrates how their relationship serves as the emotional core of the series. It was a moving, reflective chapter that slowed the narrative pace in order to deepen character development—setting us up for what promises to be a dramatic finale.

Rating: 8/10