Biggest moments from The Last of Us Episode 6, “Kin”

We’re now square in the middle of Season 1 and The Last of Us has done a great job fleshing out its main characters and the world. Episode 6 “Kin” was a relatively quieter episode with perhaps the most emotionally explosive moments we have seen thus far in the show. The episode comes hot on the heels of a riveting 2-parter that ramped up the violence and action in a big way.

Thus, it only makes sense for the show to slow down the pace and let us take a closer, more intimate look at Joel, Ellie, and some newcomers. The episode finally reintroduces Gabriel Luna’s Tommy as the brothers finally reunite.

Even though the episode was a rather quiet affair, it packed a lot in terms of powerful moments and deeply moving themes. Here’s a look at some of the most important moments from The Last of Us Episode 6, “Kin”.

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Joel’s panic attacks

The episode kicks off with Joel and Ellie trying to get information out of a married couple that lives far away from civilization, and supposedly, the Infected. The couple warns Joel and Ellie about the “River of Death” and that nobody who makes it across the river has come back alive.

It looks like whoever’s living across the river has managed to keep a sphere of fear and paranoia around themselves. This makes Joel extremely uneasy and we see him have a panic attack. This is a rare vulnerable moment from Joel for the audience as the character has been extremely stoic, or at least, stoic presenting so far.

We start to see Joel become more and more humanized as the episode progresses and we start to see what drives the man and also what scares him.

The river of death

Upon having crossed the fabled “River of Death” and not come across anything particularly dangerous, Joel and Ellie find themselves quite relaxed. However, the peace is interrupted as the pair are set upon by a group of armed people on horseback.

Joel and Ellie are put in a rather precarious position as the leader of the group sets a dog on them armed with the instruction to kill if it senses signs of infection. While Joel gets off scot-free, he is ultimately paralyzed by fear of the dog picking up on Ellie’s bite and possible infection.

This is an incredibly tense moment that eventually turns rather light as the dog ends up being quite friendly with Ellie instead. It is at this point that Joel reveals his name and tells the group about his brother, Tommy.

Jackson

Once Joel reveals who he is, the group immediately takes them in and takes them across the land to a small, walled town. It is revealed that the people across the river have built themselves quite the thriving community, replete with food, restaurants, bars, working electricity, and everything one could need for a normal life.

It is here that Joel finally sees Tommy and the two share an incredibly heartfelt moment. Tommy reveals that he joined up with the group after deserting the Fireflies and that Maria took him in, and is now his wife.

Joel and Ellie are able to finally take a breather after several months of being on the road. For the first time in 3 months, Joel and Ellie are finally safe and even though there might be a long way ahead, for now, they are safe.

Joel lets his guard down

In one of the most emotionally impactful scenes of the show, Pedro Pascal delivers an absolutely magnificent performance as Joel tells Tommy about what is at stake. He reveals to Tommy that Ellie is immune and that he has been tasked with taking her to the Fireflies that are working on the cure.

He reveals to Tommy that he has gotten considerably older and cannot possibly care for Ellie in the way that he needs to on the road. Joel reveals that a younger him could easily have avoided the many mistakes he has made, and he cannot bear the thought of losing someone again.

Even though Tommy is reluctant about having to leave Jackson behind as he is about to be a father, he gives in and tells Joel he will ride out in the morning with Ellie.

“You have no idea what loss is”

Following the moment with Tommy and Joel, fans were treated to perhaps an emotionally potent moment between Ellie and Joel. This is one of the most iconic moments from the game as Joel and Ellie finally have a big blowout where Ellie vents her frustration about Joel leaving her.

The scene is incredibly well done as Bella Ramsey delivers an Emmy-worthy performance as Ellie. The pair have an intense conversation about loss and abandonment and Joel decides that he is no longer going to be her protector.

Joel and Ellie ride again

Come dawn, Joel gives Ellie the choice to come with him instead of Tommy, to which she responds in the affirmative almost immediately. The pair then ride towards the University Along the way, Joel teaches Ellie how to shoot a sniper rifle and the pair have a stronger bond now than they ever had before.

This is short-lived, however, as Ellie and Joel are attacked by a random group of hunters that are on the campus, possibly looking for loot. Joel manages to subdue and kill the hunter, but, is stabbed in the scuffle. While the pair manage to escape, Joel falls off the horse suffering from blood loss, and his fate is left incredibly vague at the end of the episode.

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