The Last of Us – The Price review S2 E6

Add The Price to the ever-growing list of contenders for the best episode of The Last of Us. There was exactly one gun fired (off camera). but even those who enjoy the magnificent pulse-pounding action of the show will appreciate the emotional and gut-wrenching brilliance of The Price.

Last episode ended with a flashback and The Price kicks off going even further back to 1983 in Austin, Texas. Teenage Joel (Andrew Diaz) and Tommy (David Miranda) are bracing for their father’s return. Tommy got into a fight trying to buy drugs and he’s not relishing the thought of the beat down his father is going to give him this time. Joel tells him not to worry. He’ll take the punishment for Tommy.

Their father, Javier (Tony Dalton, Daredevil: Born Again), strolls in taking a break from his police officer shift to deal with this trouble at home. Joel steadfastly lies — clearly a common theme for our late hero — not counting on the fact that his father would actually have gotten the report from his fellow officers and have all the details already. Joel is always willing to pay the price, but he never factors in the cost of broken trust.

Instead of beating both Tommy and Joel, Javier relays a story of how his father beat him so bad once that his jaw was broken. Joel is incredulous. How could his father put them through this physical abuse if he could relate to viewing his father as a menace? Javier responds ‘I’m doing a little better than what my father did. When it’s your turn I hope you do a little better than me.’ Impactful words that we would hear again in a far more haunting manner later on in The Price.

Fast forward to two months after Joel and Ellie settled into Jackson City. Joel has some LEGOs to trade with Seth, who tells Joel he was a cop before the world ended. This is why he was so adamant about defending the city when Abby and the Wolves killed Joel. He still abides by the serve and protect mantra.

Joel’s trade netted him a bone, which he used to put the finishing touches on a guitar he refurnished for Ellie. He doesn’t get to present it to her yet as Tommy brings in Ellie, who’s hopped up on painkillers. She’d burnt her arm in an effort to hide her infected bite marks so she could wear short sleeves again. This is the first of several background questions that were answered in The Price.

The next day Ellie awakens to find Joel hovering over the birthday cake he had Seth make for her. While he botched her name, spelling it “Eli,” the cake was good. Joel is making good on his promise to teach her how to play the guitar and starts by singing the song Ellie started while on stage last episode. Everything is coming together now. It’s a good birthday celebration that reveals the theme for The Price — how each year changes the dynamic between Joel and Ellie.

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One year later and they’re walking through a path. Joel asks if there’s something going on with Ellie and Jesse since he’s got a keen eye for these things. Maybe not there, Joel. He brought her to a museum complete with a dinosaur statue and a replica space shuttle landing pod. Joel even tracked down a cassette recording of the Apollo 11 liftoff. Ellie is thrilled with all the effort Joel put in as he sheds a tear over how happy she is with this year’s celebration. It’s a nice moment that ends somewhat awkwardly as Ellie briefly pauses in the woods to look at a group of fireflies.

Another year passes and this time, Seth’s got Ellie’s name spelled properly on the cake. Joel hears a noise and bursts in on Ellie and Kat, the same squad leader who was trying to get her to follow orders on patrol in the first episode, making out. And they were smoking weed while Kat gave Ellie a tattoo.

Joel wasn’t thrilled about getting the whole teen experience at once including “experimenting with girls? You don’t know what you’re saying. We’ll discuss this when you’re yourself.” That exchange led to Ellie moving to the garage. This one of the stronger moments in The Price. So often in modern TV shows, parents are immediately accepting of their LGBTQ+ teenager. Showing some resistance to the idea that their child’s sexuality is different than they assumed and having some sort of rejection of it, however brief, seems more in line with the continual outpouring of support specifically during Pride Month.

It also shows the first crack in the Joel/Ellie dynamic though Joel quickly makes amends by offering to fix up the garage in a few days. He’s also curious about the moths. He asks Gail and she explains that moths tend to symbolize death. Catherine O’Hara isn’t in every episode, but every episode she’s in has been really enjoyable no matter how brief her role.

Two years later. Ellie has a series of smart questions she’s ready to ask Joel about Salt Lake City. Now that she’s 19 he’s ok with her going on patrol. Like most parents, Joel is feeling Ellie pull away and wants to restore the bond they once enjoyed. Joel wants some reaffirming that this trek like the good old days is something Ellie misses too.

The stroll through memory lane ends quickly as someone on the radio says “Eugene (!) and I need backup.” Joel wants Ellie to head back, but she sticks the metaphorical knife further in his gut with the reminder “I’m not your f-ing kid Joel. I’m your partner.” It must hurt Joel on a deeper level considering what he risked for the world just to keep Ellie alive. Now he’s got to endure her cruelest treatment of him during this tough phase of her life with no rulebook.

They spot Eugene (Joe Pantoliano who delivers an amazing performance in two scenes), who’s been bit. He wants to say goodbye to Gail, but the Jackson City rules are strictly against it. Joel has his gun drawn, but Ellie insists he’s got time to see Gail. Joel has Ellie get the horses and he promises they’ll be following behind her. Ellie is hesitant, but the promise is good enough for her to keep going.

Maybe she shouldn’t have believed him. Joel takes Eugene to a clearing with a spectacular view. Eugene understands and pleads that he doesn’t need to deliver last words for Gail. “No! I need her last words for me. I don’t need a view. I need Gail. Please let that be the last thing I see.”

Joel says if you love someone you can always see their face. This hits harder knowing that the last thing Joel sees is Ellie. This is a beautifully shot sequence with the camera focusing on Eugene with a blurry Joel in the background to just centering on Eugene. He does see Gail as a wide shot shows birds flying out of the trees clearly spooked by the gunshot. Ellie has the horses in tow and sees Eugene’s body, to which Joel can only reply “I’m sorry.”

This was a crummy deal for Joel, who insists that they tell Gail what she needs to know and nothing more. Gail and Tommy are at the gates awaiting them. Joel tells Gail how brave Eugene was and how he ended it himself, when Ellie interrupts and tells them the truth. Yes, Joel was lying, but the truth is Ellie revealed what happened from a selfish perspective — not for Gail’s benefit. As she walks off, she mutters “You swore.”

It feels like at this exact point where Joel understands the price of being a parent and how his greatest joy can be his bitterest pain later.

Nine months later and we’re back at the New Year’s dance watching from Joel’s perspective this time. Back at his place, Joel is playing on the porch when Ellie walks up. Initially, she heads to the garage but returns to confront him about the truth. She’s giving him one more time to be honest. Ellie questions Joel about the entire firefly incident, which gives her the chance to hear him say that a possible cure would have killed her.

Through tears — both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey deliver superb performances in this scene — Joel says he knows the price of his actions because Ellie’s gonna turn away from him.

“But if I was back in that moment. I’d do it all over again. Because I love you. In a way you can’t understand. Maybe you never will. But if you have one of your own well then, I hope you do a little better than me.” What an excellent way to recall that opening scene.

Ellie says she doesn’t think they can ever forgive him for his actions, but she would like to try. If nothing else, we now know that Ellie wasn’t saving face when Nora told her what Joel did. She really did know what he did and that she was working towards finding some peace with him before his shocking murder.

In a rainy Seattle presumably in Day 3, Ellie continues on her path to Abby and potentially her long-awaited payback.

The Price was astonishing TV. The Last of Us is good for about three such episodes a season. This one was unique as it addressed some long simmering storylines while providing better context of the Joel/Ellie dynamic heading into the season finale.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Max

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