Review. Chapter 6 of “The last of us” gives a wonderful performance by Pedro Pascal as Joel and leaves a valuable lesson on being a father.
“Kin”, chapter 6 of the first season of “The last of us” delights again on HBO Max with a plot that reminds us once again that this is not a story about zombies, but about the human relationships that the characters have. After several outstanding moments of Bella Ramsay as Ellie, it is now Pedro Pascal who shines in his role as Joel Miller, especially in a heartbreaking scene that captures all the message that this episode directed by Jasmila Zbanic wants to give us, always low the pen of Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin.
Being a father: an apocalyptic task
The star of this episode is Joel, who finally has a brief moment of joy when he is reunited with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in a large established area in Jackson, where the snow makes them inconspicuous to looters and unexpected visitors. And all this while Pedro Pascal’s character is going through apparent heart problems (although if we look closer they could be panic attacks).
Gabriel Luna and Pedro Pascal as Tommy and Joel Miller. Photo: Composition LR/HBO Max
However, the joy is short-lived, because when Joel expects his younger brother to accompany him on the most important mission of his life, he is rejected. The reason? Tommy is going to be a father and he does not want to expose himself to the danger of dying and leaving his son without him, something that provokes Joel’s anger, but also leads us to the first key moment of the chapter: the conversation in the shoe store.
The talk that siblings have is closely related to the responsibility of becoming a dad. Joel, a bitter man, who has suffered the death of his daughter, his partner and that of a boy and his older brother, cannot help but cry and admit that after all, that little immune girl who is key to finding a cure, it matters more to you than you think.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay as Joel and Ellie. Photo: Composition LR/HBO Max
The argument that Joel and Ellie have minutes later, where he emphasizes that she is not his daughter and he is not his father, is not made to separate them, but to let us know how afraid he is of failing again. In other words, he does not want her to die, since he would not only mean failing Tess in her last will, but also himself as her father.
And therein lies the terrifying, painful, and precious task of becoming a father figure to a helpless girl who might be the world’s last hope. That is the message of this chapter, in which finally, somehow, both characters admit their love for each other, accept the roles they have to play and decide to continue on their journey together. After all, neither being a father nor a son is easy in a zombie post-apocalypse.
What will happen in chapter 7 of “The last of us”?
In chapter 7 of “The last of us”, according to the advance, everything indicates that the story will be focused on Ellie’s past, specifically in an arc of the video game entitled “Left behind”. This was released as an expansion (DLC) to the base game.
The seventh episode of the series, which brings us closer and closer to the end, will arrive on HBO Max next Sunday, February 26.
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