When they are finally having some time together filling out the missing pieces in their respective lives, the worst that Joel could think of has finally happened. Take a trip down memory lane on The Last of Us Episode 7 and get everything you need to know here!
Warning! This portion may contain spoilers for The Last of Us. Read at your own risk!
What Happened Before The Last of Us Episode 7?
The Last of Us Episode 6, Kin, gets a huge time jump from the events in Kansas City where Henry and Sam faced their demise which still lingers within Joel and Ellie even three months after what happened. It starts with the last scene of the previous one where Henry took his life.
It is winter and Joel and Ellie are traversing the cold as they look for Tommy, and they end up in a shack in the middle of nowhere. There, they encounter an elderly couple who basically got through the outbreak by living away from civilizations.
Interrogation is really not Joel and Ellie's strongest suit and the old woman even made them some soup. The husband, on the other hand, just arrived home with the rabbits he hunted. All Joel asks is to point out the exact location where they are currently in and get some information about the Fireflies.
The elderly man points out where they are on the map and the couple warns Joel and Ellie about the crossing the river of death where bodies, both infected and not, are dumped. All they know is that when the river is crossed, only death will follow, foreboding the trouble that comes after.
As they depart, Ellie takes the rabbits for herself while Joel seems to have panic attacks. They walk through stunning and picturesque views of the mountains embraced by snow, and when the night bites, they decided to camp for the night and Joel tries to repair his right boot.
While there, Ellie continuously looks at the skies and she asks Joel what are his plans after he delivers Ellie to the Fireflies. Joel responds that he wants to have a ranch full of sheep because a flock of sheep is quiet and obeys their shepherd, the exact opposite of Ellie.
Joel tells Ellie that he will be taking both shifts taking watch but the next morning, he jolts awake, realizing that he dozed off. Thankfully, Ellie is awake and she takes the second watch as Joel taught him but from the looks of it, Joel still prefers to do that so he orders Ellie that when that happens, she should wake him up.
They see a river, seemingly harmless, and there's even a bridge as if it is not called the river of death. Ellie even tries to learn how to whistle because she doesn't know how to do that. They see the dam that powers the nearby places but didn't go near it.
Joel and Ellie reach another body of water and Ellie wonders whether that is the river of death. As soon as Ellie mentions it, a group of people on horses approached them and interrogated them on what they are doing in the area.
While Joel tells them that they are just passing through, they send out a dog to sniff whether they are infected. Joel's heartbeat thumps knowing that Ellie is infected and may be killed by the dog but much to his surprise, Ellie even played with it.
Joel mentions that he is just looking for his brother, then, a woman approaches them and asks Joel his name. As soon as he answers, they are on a horse on their way to Jackson, a town where a commune lives, where Ellie sees children playing with snow.
Then, the most touching part of the episode happens: Joel sees Tommy and he calls him out. The brothers run to each other and share a hug full of longing, and love, they immediately reconnected, and they take Joel and Ellie for a meal where they eat like there's no tomorrow.
Over the meal, Ellie sees a girl and her manners are off the roof because she is pissed because her gun was taken. Tommy explains that they are just cautious as to who they would let in. As Joel asks for a family meeting, Tommy introduces Maria to be part of the family, his wife.
Much to the surprise of Joel, they take a tour of Jackson where they realize that everything is working in the community and Ellie sees sheep, reminds Joel of it. They are communists, everything is owned by everyone there. Ellie also meets Shimmer, a horse.
Maria immediately offers the house across theirs for Joel and Ellie to stay in, have some new clothes, and even a shower. Maria volunteers to take Ellie as she lets the brothers catch up. They bond over some drinks and talk about things in life.
Joel asks Tommy to join them or just bring Ellie to the Fireflies. Tommy reveals to Joel that Maria and the others took him in and that he is about to be a father which is why he is taking precautions. Joel walks out and feels the thumping of his heart again.
Outside, Joel sees a woman similar to Sarah and he is reminded of what Sarah could have been had she been alive. Meanwhile, Ellie gets out of a nice shower where clothes are prepared for her and there's even a menstrual cup for her, and she proceeds to Maria and Tommy's house.
There, she sees a memento for Kevin and Sarah before Maria steps in and her motherly instincts go through. Maria insists to give Ellie a haircut where they talk about what Maria was before the outbreak. Maria used to be an attorney, a mother, too, who lost her child. Maria reveals that Sarah was Joel's daughter.
Before they part, Maria warns Ellie about being careful who to put her faith in, seemingly implying that Joel is not who Ellie thinks he is. Maria also invites Ellie to watch a movie with the whole community.
Joel and Tommy gets another heart-to-heart talk as Tommy gives Joel a new pair of boots. Joel gets all vulnerable and reveals that he is not in shape to finish the delivery. He tells Tommy everything: the Ellie is immune to the cordyceps, that Tess died and her dying wish is to get Ellie to the Fireflies.
Tommy agrees to it and plans that he will take Ellie to the Fireflies at dawn. Unbeknownst to them, Ellie overhears the conversation. Tommy returns to the movie and even without words, Maria already knows what Tommy is up to.
When Joel gets home, Ellie reads the diary left by a girl from before the outbreak and she is baffled on how girls before were only thinking about boys, and which pair of clothes to wear to school.
Ellie confronts Joel about overhearing the conversation and she is angry because she will be left once more. Ellie tells Joel that he is the only one who stuck with her while everybody else either left her or died. She also tells Joel that she isn't Sarah, and Joel acknowledges that he is not Ellie's father.
Joel's mind is fixed and he says Ellie will leave with Tommy at dawn where they go separate ways. Joel goes to his room to think through his decision and he gets flashbacks from when Sarah was still alive.
By morning, Ellie is packed, even with a heart broken, and Tommy fetches her in her room. They go to the stables where Joel is already preparing a horse and without any hesitation, Ellie gives Joel their stuff and Tommy sends them off, telling them that they always have a place there in Jackson.
On their way to the Fireflies at the University, they see an empty place where monkeys are all around. Unfortunately, the Fireflies are not there anymore and on a board, they seem to have fled to St. Mary's hospital in Salt Lake City.
Outside, raiders are scavenging and on their way to their horse, one of them jumps onto Joel where Joel kills the raider through cracking his neck. Only then did Joel realize that he has been stabbed and as the others approach, Joel and Ellie rides their horse, running away.
When they are far enough, Joel could not take it anymore. He blacks out of consciousness, leaving Ellie in a vulnerable position, the very fear that he anticipated -- he failed Ellie.
READ MORE: The Last of Us: Bella Ramsey Got A Black Eye During Chaotic Episode 5 Scene
The Last of Us Episode 7 Spoilers, Theories, and Leaks
The Last of Us Episode 6 is a lot similar to the game. There are tons of Easter eggs from the game like the dam, the rabbits, the crossbow, and more. There's the scene at the campfire that did not make it to the game but it is great that the showrunners included the scene.
There are so many parallels to the game and some scenes are even directly taken from it like when Ellie was confronting Joel about being left behind and truth be told, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal nailed the scene, adding more layers and emotion to it.
Then, there's the scene with Joel and Tommy, too, both in the bar and in the repair shop. The relationship of the two may not be perfect but the way Pascal and Gabriel Luna delivered it, you could actually feel the love they have for each other.
See, Joel and Ellie are complements to each other's lives. Joel lost his daughter and he is so afraid to being attached to Ellie that he may lose another daughter if he loses Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie is an orphan, longing for the love of a parent and Joel may not be the perfect choice but he is the only one who stood up for Ellie.
These characters are now going deep into the emotional pains of the outbreak and they are now more afraid of losing each other on the way. Joel's fear comes true as he got stabbed and he knows that he is leaving Ellie in a vulnerable position but everyone, he's not dead, though.
In The Last of Us Episode 7, it goes back in time, a trip down memory lane because it will show the mall scene where Ellie gets her first bite. There, she is with her friend, Riley, whom she realizes became a member of the Fireflies. Feeling betrayed, Ellie goes off, only to find the true horrors of the outbreak.
If The Last of Us Episode 6 showed so much depth on Joel, Episode 7 will explore the side of Ellie more. It is expected to deal with the journey of Ellie as a FEDRA military cadet, and her best friend, Riley. They go to a mall, the same one where Ellie got the first bite and possibly realizes that she is immune.
Other than that, it is also expected that The Last of Us Episode 7 could explain why Ellie has been acting like that from the start, all tough on the outside but extremely scared inside. There's something in Ellie's past that leads to the way she acts now.
It is possible, too, that Ellie lost her best friend, Riley, in the abandoned mall where they encounter a bloater. While Joel thinks Ellie may not have any idea about what loss is, The Last of Us Episode 7 is about to change that perspective.
Where to Watch The Last of Us Episode 7?
The Last of Us is exclusively releasing on HBO and HBO Max where one can get a roster of the shows of the streaming platform for a plan starting at $9.99 per month to $15.99 per month following the price hike and depending on the inclusions of the plan whether it has advertisements or not.
When is the Release Date and Time of The Last of Us Episode 7?
The Last of Us Episode 7 is slated to come out on HBO and HBO Max on February 26, 2023 at 9 PM EST/ 6 PM PT. Subtitles will also be available with the episode release.
The Last of Us Episode 7 is expected to have 56 minutes, a little shorter than the previous episode.
The Last of Us Episode 7 Countdown
The Last of Us Episode 7 Countdown
Find out more about The Last of Us Episode 7 here on EpicStream!
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