In The last of us Season 1, Episode 6, “Kin,” Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally find peace and sanctuary in the American West, but with this stillness comes the time for Joel to consider whether he's getting too close to his ward. The sixth episode of The last of us takes place three months after the tragic events in Kansas City, which include two of the most impactful deaths in the series. The show looks different now, as Joel and Ellie emerge from the fire and chaos of the East into the snowy tranquility of the West.
“Kin” is where The last of us make an exchange. This is the first episode where Joel and Ellie have the chance to put themselves back together, after a journey that has taken them from tragic horror to tragic horror, barely escaping with their lives. Now, when they reach their goal, It is not external conflicts that get in the way, but internal challenges. Ellie and Joel's dynamic in the first half of The last of us it was based on a work. From episode 6 of season 1, the duo begins to realize, and fear, the familial love that has developed between them.
Ellie and Joel meet some strangers at the border
Florence and Marlon welcome Joel and Ellie into their home
The last of us Season 1, Episode 6 begins 3 months after the events in Kansas City, and Joel and Ellie have become so used to not seeing infected or people that they have started to let their guard down. They're not entirely naive, so when they stumble upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere, guns are drawn. Inside, they meet an elderly woman, Florence (Elaine Miles), who is soon joined by her husband, Marlon (Graham Greene), and these characters, who are new to the The last of us universe, prove to be honest enough that eventually the weapons will be laid down.
Joel and Ellie eat soup with their new friends and the couple tell the travelers that there have been no sightings of the infected or marauders anywhere near their land. However, they do mention the “River of Death”. They don't know why, but the riverbank on the opposite side is littered with bodies. Naturally, that's just the direction Joel and Ellie are heading.
Florence and Marlon reveal that there are still parts of the world that have remained more or less unchanged.
Florence and Marlon show a different side of life in The last of us. Since the start of the show, everything Ellie has seen has been touched by the Infected. Florence and Marlon reveal that there are still parts of the world that have remained more or less unchanged. It's a scene like this that shows the next episodes of The last of us it won't be the same kind of excitement and terror that came before.
Joel reunites with his brother Tommy in Jackson, Wyoming
Tommy and Maria are married and will have a child
After Joel and Ellie cross the River of Death, they are confronted by the people who are supposedly responsible for all the bodies on the shore. The duo is surrounded by an armed gang, all on horseback, led by a masked woman. Joel tells them his name, which somehow gives him and Ellie access to the armed group's compound: the fortified city of Jackson, Wyoming. There, the masked woman reveals herself as Maria (Rutina Wesley), and the reason she knows who Joel is is because she is married to Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel's supposedly dead brother.
Tommy and Joel's reunion is touching as the brothers tearfully embrace, both believing the other has died. Tommy shows Jackson to Joel and Ellie and takes him to a bar, a rare luxury in a post-infected America. There Tommy and Joel reveal a little more about their story. They discuss the terrible actions of their past, murder being one of the worst of them. Although Joel says they did what they needed to survive, Tommy doesn't forgive himself so easily and says there were other ways to survive. The success of the peaceful Jackson serving as proof.
Tommy's revelation that he and Maria are going to have a child is enough to send Joel into a panic attack, the second of the episode, perhaps a subconscious effect on him is growing from seeing Ellie as a daughter, and what that could mean for him. Later, Joel admits his fears to his brother. He tells Tommy that he's not as smart as he used to be, and he fears again, which he thinks puts him in danger, which puts Ellie in danger.
Ellie settles into life in Jackson
Maria tells Ellie about Joel's daughter Sarah
While Joel has a heart-to-heart with Tommy, Ellie visits Jackson, marveling at how normal a town looks. She only knows Boston, Kansas City and the small communities in between. Never before has she seen a functional, safe society. She can't help but be amazed at what teenagers and children used to worry about before the Cordyceps infection began. Looking at a room full of t-shirts, movie posters, and photos of boys, Ellie can't believe the trivial things she would have had to worry about if she had been born a few decades earlier.
She visits Maria, and Maria gives Ellie a little more information about her guardian, information that also explains Maria's cold reception to Joel. Maria reveals that Joel had a daughter, Sarah, who was killed, which Ellie says explains a lot. Then Maria gets serious and warns about Joel. From her point of view, it was Joel who forced Tommy to lead a criminal and violent life, and he is still the same man he was before. His warning is clear, Ellie needs to be careful with him, telling her: “The only people who can betray us are those we trust.”
Joel debates leaving Ellie behind
Ellie says she only feels safe with Joel
With his growing fear of losing someone he slowly admits he loves, and seeing Jackson's safety, Joel decides to leave Ellie behind. He tries to scare her by coldly telling her that he is not her father and that she is not his daughter, but Ellie sees through him. She calls his bluff, saying they both know she would only be safe with Joel. Joel prepares to leave alone the next morning, but waits. After just a few minutes, Ellie leaves and mounts her horse, the unspoken bond between the two stronger than ever..
Ellie and Joel find the abandoned Eastern Colorado University
Joel is stabbed and Ellie prepares to take care of him
As they travel together to meet the Fireflies at Eastern Colorado University, the pair break down every barrier left between them and, for the first time, form a team, and admit it. Joel teaches Ellie the finer points of football and shooting, and Ellie asks all the questions she wants, getting answers from Joel now. When they finally arrive at the campus, however, they find it abandoned. The lab monkeys seem to be the only living things around.
As they slowly search the area, a band of bandits arrive unexpectedly. Joel easily dispatches them, but receives a knife wound in the process. It's not a superficial cut, it could be that for Joel. As he passes in and out of consciousness, Ellie promises to take care of him, and it's hard to be skeptical of her decision after all this happened in The last of us season 1, episode 6, “Kin.”