The Last of us Episode 6: Kin

The last of Us episode 6 :

Siblings. More of us have them than don’t. Seven years of difference between us, and for most of my life, not just the same parents but the same background and heritage; our choices define us while our agreements define our family. We may talk rarely or every day as adults, but for me. My sense of self is ironically formed through my brother.

And the last two years of ‘the thing’ where I was with our parents while he was home-schooling his kids and working at making it work with his wife, made me aware more of how circumstance moulds us as much as our nature.

The last of us now reaches the halfway point, where we dive deep into that family dynamic and have the relationship between Ellie and Joel come to the fore for a whole episode. Everyone they have met is a signpost of relationships and their dysfunctions and symbiosis.

After the bleakness of the last episode finale, to see Joel just totally called on his nasty guy demeanour by an old couple who make soup and give no fucks is the start of arguably the warmest episode of humanity in a show that has been mesmerising in its bleakness. It brings humour and comedy to a show that has had more logic but also pathos than a synderverse

But it’s the community they find in the cold where we see Ellie as a child and Joel as a parent. Bella can morph between the defensiveness and coping mechanisms to the wonder and community sense of a child in Bella as she finally has a moment to be a young woman and watch films and have her hair cut, and you can see the change in her.

But watching Joel break down shows that vulnerability only in the presence of his brother and the conflicts of views and journeys. It’s genuinely a sibling I’ve ever experienced that ability with. There is a way with brothers, you can let it all fall out of, and underneath you, often you realise parents have a role, but you share your pain, and if they can’t cope or comprehend, it just inflates their own, the talking over, and anxiety is just spread not shared. But a sibling is someone who can really listen with the proper sense of distance and still care for you. The scene plays with integrity and honesty from both of them. It’s a central pivot in Joel and our understanding. It took the best part of eight seasons and a hand at risk from Rick Grimes to even come close to this. But here we are in episode 6, and the mask falling is so great after so much investment.,

But it’s by taking us on this journey of relative safety and the chance for our leads to evolve and break down we see them gel. Ellie needs Joel more than simple safety; now, he is her trust and constant. And as the show ends, we are drawn back to what a dangerous world it is. The cliffhanger at the end is fast and brutal and shows how fast their world can continue to change around them.

With a few episodes left for this season, I have been so impressed that if aliens come down next week and Zapp them all to the pase to build satellites, I’ll be happy with what we have had.