Sacred Symbols+, Episode 456 | The Last of Us (HBO) Review Discussion and Spoilercast (Season 2, Episode 6)
Added 2025-05-19 23:18:09 +0000 UTCWe've arrived at the penultimate episode of The Last of Us' second season on HBO, and with Neil Druckmann himself in the director's chair, this could potentially be the strongest showing yet for season two. Telling the story via a series of Ellie birthdays is clever, and getting some truly emotional beats in the mix is very welcome. We even got to meet Joel's and Tommy's father, all the way back in 1983, perhaps one of the coolest non-game moments in any episode so far. Let's not belabor this any further; we liked this episode a lot, and we suspect you did, too. So let's discuss.
Comments
Dustin not recognising who Joe Pantoliano was? Frankly I’m depressed and ashamed. Eugene, 60 years old, he was only a fuckin kid.
Daddy T
2025-05-25 18:39:25 +0000 UTCThe Ratchet thing is so overstated. They aren’t hostile they are just strangers at first. The remake watered down so much, man.
Noah Friscopp
2025-05-22 14:51:01 +0000 UTCAre you still “fist in the cake” high from painkillers after a full night’s sleep?
Jared R
2025-05-22 01:17:50 +0000 UTCFor the love of god, please no.
Dank Yharnam Nugz
2025-05-21 22:00:35 +0000 UTCFeels like they really destroyed Ellie's intelligence, on top of not knowing how to use a map I also didn't like how Joel was the one with the space facts.
CriiWolf
2025-05-21 21:17:40 +0000 UTCGotta point out that Ellie was still high on pain killers, so that’s why she ate the cake with her hands lol
Cody Raburn (ray-burn)
2025-05-21 16:24:20 +0000 UTCJoel killing Eugene scene. I thought Joel intended to bring him to Gale but once Eugene said "the cordyceps make you cold." Joel realizes there's not enough time to bring him back so at the fork he says "to the right." away from the horses.
Robert F Friemering
2025-05-21 08:38:13 +0000 UTCGood episode over all. But again… it’s not Bella… but I really hate the way they portray Ellie in the show. It’s sadly a huge turn off 🥲
Johnny Lamotte
2025-05-21 03:53:26 +0000 UTCCame here to say this. Colin didn't look hard enough lol
CriiWolf
2025-05-20 23:52:22 +0000 UTCThe lack of Abby is starting to make me think she’ll be the lead in season 3. Possibly followed by season 4 starting at the farmhouse and then fully fleshing out Santa Barbara?
Harry
2025-05-20 13:11:10 +0000 UTCYou can definitely climb the t-Rex in the game
CastingCouch
2025-05-20 12:45:31 +0000 UTCSimple, it must not be in the ASCII walkthrough.
Stephen Lucey
2025-05-20 12:43:57 +0000 UTCIt blows my mind that Colin is such a huge fan of the games, has played them several times, recently played through Part II twice, uses guides, goes for platinums, etc. and he somehow doesn't know that Ellie can climb the dinosaur in Part II. I say in my best Colin voice: How can this be?!?!?
Mike Held
2025-05-20 12:43:10 +0000 UTCI'll do you one better. In season 1 we have the Indian doctor say there is no hope for a cure. She was a world leader in the field at the height of when resources would have been the most available. So after decades of world rot we're supposed to believe that Abby's dad who it's possible he was also a leader in the field but way younger than that lady doctor had the resources she would of had. His age alone means that he wasn't as learned as her. He would of had to do some serious catching up in-between raiders and infected attacks. Not to mention they have had to abandoned several labs along the way. But suddenly here's Ellie a once in a lifetime anomaly. No back up or spare. No way to run a trail. In a rundown hospital. With at best parts of your research. No way that cure was a gaurantee.
Melvin Jones
2025-05-20 12:17:03 +0000 UTCWe simply need gene back for episode 7
Red Metal
2025-05-20 12:07:11 +0000 UTCNeil’s been pretty clear about the show version of the characters being their own unique people. To add to that, he also had to come in and make the Ellie of this episode fit with the Ellie that Craig’s been portraying the whole season that he hasn’t had a hand in writing like he did season 1, with Craig’s input still there since he also co-wrote this episode with Hailey and Neil. Neil maybe likes this version of Ellie, but even he wouldn’t say it’s the same as game Ellie, nor do I think he’d say it’s the definitive version. Just a different one.
Jared R
2025-05-20 11:43:40 +0000 UTCThey said it will take up to season 4 to finish this story. So 5-6 more years? Season 1 was great but this season has been really rough.
Chris Van Buren
2025-05-20 10:43:48 +0000 UTCI thought the writing wasn't great until I saw Druckman directed it and wow....just wow....CINEMA
Andrew
2025-05-20 10:11:49 +0000 UTCI thought the first half of the episode was boring and then everyone acted their ass off in the 2nd half.
Tim
2025-05-20 10:06:25 +0000 UTCI'm just watching because I like listening to the podcast. Otherwise I would never watch this mediocre show.
Alex
2025-05-20 09:46:47 +0000 UTCOn Micah's point regarding game/show Ellie going back to Salt Lake - it's a ridiculous idea that game Ellie would make that trek also. It's only because the game has you listen to these audio logs etc that makes it more interactive, but it's a bit far fetched that she went all that way and conveniently found damning evidence This isn't an example of needing to change the story to accommodate the show version, it's an unrealistic and frankly needless detour whichever way you look at it. Much prefer the show version of how Ellie finds out which is more organic and feels natural. Also I don't understand her takes on "this doesn't feel like the real Ellie" - this episode was written and directed by Druckmann, it's his character and that's how he sees how she'd react. He's already said that the beauty of the show is that he can make little adjustments of what he thinks he could change after some years of reflection. She's harsh in that moment, but that's years of this doubt and betrayal building up so it's not unbelievable to me tbh
Deemac
2025-05-20 09:21:27 +0000 UTCDruckmann and Mazin mentioned this at the start of the season - they basically said they were just being very loose with the timeline of the song because "Future Days" is such a key part of the sentiment of Part 2. I don't really mind it tbh
Deemac
2025-05-20 08:37:27 +0000 UTCYup. Neil’s said a few times now that he’s nowhere near as involved in this season and it’s mostly Craig’s baby.
Jared R
2025-05-20 08:07:03 +0000 UTCThere is a glaring issue in this adaptation of Joel sing Future Days to Ellie. In the game they made a big deal about the inclusion of the song as it had been written/released in 2013. I remember some people criticizing that even then it may not have become a popular enough song for Joel to have learnt it, in the same year as the Outbreak, to sing to Ellie some 25 years later. The TV show starts in 2003, ten years prior to the release of the song. Unless Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder were still kicking about post-apocalypse I am not sure how Future Days came to be known to Joel.
Dank Yharnam Nugz
2025-05-20 07:58:59 +0000 UTCI mean to defend Neil and Halley's honor a little bit, they only have writing credits on episodes 6 and 7.
LiquidLink98
2025-05-20 04:04:15 +0000 UTCShe climbs the dinosaur in the game too. You can do it yourself if you approach the tail. Also, Ellie was living in the garage from the start of the game. One of the first scenes in the game (where Joel brings Ellie the guitar) is in the garage.
Jeece
2025-05-20 03:23:42 +0000 UTCI’m with Dustin on not giving a fuck about a cure. The worlds too far gone and especially from Joel’s perspective he’s too old to see the world come even close to the way it was before. Also Neil can say it would’ve worked all he wants but with the information given in the games it’s far from a guarantee, and Joel wouldn’t have any reason to believe in it too deeply.
Cole Minder
2025-05-20 02:04:16 +0000 UTCFinding out the origin of Joel’s watch in the opening scene was such a great touch. It’s little moments like that that really help elevate the show.
Alan Joseph
2025-05-20 01:18:52 +0000 UTCI can’t believe Colin hasn’t done this in all of his playthroughs lol
Connor
2025-05-20 01:07:05 +0000 UTCYou literally can climb the dinosaur in the game! Gotta go up the tail and you get a cool little scene of Joel being concerned about Ellie being up so high. Then she cannonballs off the head
Brian
2025-05-20 01:01:32 +0000 UTCI was so glad to hear Micah’s thoughts on this version of Ellie, because they mirrored my own. It was the museum scene (though there’s so many before it) that cemented to me how much her being a dumbass is such a conscious and meticulous writing choice by both Craig and Neil. Doing the joke that she doesn’t know it’s “litter” instead of “lotter” and then immediately following that by having Joel be the one to tell her about the capsule, the only space fact shared, rather than Ellie telling a clueless Joel about her nerdy obsession just cemented that they don’t want this Ellie knowing anything about anything. And like making her unlikable, I just don’t understand the choice to make her so stupid, intellectually and emotionally.
Jared R
2025-05-20 01:00:04 +0000 UTCBest episode not only of the season but of the entire series for me. 10/10. Neil just knows how to write his characters better than anyone else. Pedro and Bella knocked it out of the park and I loved the idea of taking all the flashbacks of the game and turning it into a linear arc for Joel from when he was a kid to when he is talking to his kid. Just masterfully done.
Shawn
2025-05-20 00:35:51 +0000 UTCSpot on
Shawn
2025-05-20 00:29:13 +0000 UTCBeing pissed at Ellie for telling Gail the truth is really the most american take lmao. She didn't say it to punish Joel or to be cruel but because she felt that Gail deserved to know the truth. And it's not cruel to the widow to tell her the truth, either. At that point just don't say anything if it's understood that you're gonna lie anyways. I don't know how anyone's supposed to be able to trust what the other is saying in such a situation if you're justifying lying like this
Slitty Werben Jager Man Jensen
2025-05-20 00:23:37 +0000 UTCI don't like it moved here and I don't like Ellie finding out Joel killed the Fireflies all of 2 minutes before she said "I'd like to try" I think the whole Eugene scenario to make her doubt him was pretty ridiculous.
TheHOOfan1
2025-05-20 00:23:18 +0000 UTCThis episode made me cry. Twice. So freaking good
StewDog
2025-05-20 00:21:37 +0000 UTCColin shall never know the forbidden pleasures of RC Cola and a Moon Pie
Soulful Bison
2025-05-20 00:04:33 +0000 UTCHey Colin! Have you never climbed the T rex in The Last of Us Part 2? It’s awesome!
Clay Moore
2025-05-19 23:54:19 +0000 UTCGreat episode, they really nailed the flashbacks. I know some people don't like how they moved the porch scene to here, but tbh it's probably for the best for this adaptation - you get the full impact of it in what will be Ellie's season of the TV show. In the game, that scene was the perfect ending imo - but with rumours that the 2nd game could potentially be stretched into 3 seasons (2 at least obviously), it wouldn't make as much sense to the TV audience to not show that scene for several more years. Definitely didn't expect a flashback to a young Tommy and Joel, but I loved that. It really tied together Joel's desire to do right by his kid. Also Tony Dalton was just perfect casting for Joel's father, him and Pedro Pascal could play brothers in some other movie. He's another actor who will be appearing in Intergalactic too
Deemac
2025-05-19 23:28:53 +0000 UTCLoved this episode
A Hind D
2025-05-19 23:28:35 +0000 UTC
