Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) is finally reunited with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in the sixth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us.
Joel and Tommy were last seen together in the last few days before the Cordyceps virus ravaged the world, living in Boston.
Tommy has been traveling the west for many years, and Joel has achieved one of his goals on his journey with Ellie when he finds his brother in Wyoming.
There seems to be some disagreement between the brothers as Tommy is still angry at Joel for the people they killed to stay alive.
The episode also introduces viewers to Maria Miller (True Blood star Rutina Wesley), Tommy’s wife, who seems to harbor a certain resentment towards Joel.
Reunited: Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) is finally reunited with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in the sixth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us
Tommy: Tommy has been traveling the west for many years, and Joel achieved one of his goals on his journey with Ellie when he finds his brother in Wyoming
Maria: The episode also introduces viewers to Maria Miller (True Blood star Rutina Wesley), Tommy’s wife, who apparently harbors some resentment towards Joel
The episode begins with a flashback to last week’s episode where Joel tries to get Henry (Lamar Johnson) to put down his gun… to no avail when he kills himself.
The episode switches to a cabin in the woods when Mason (Graham Greene) returns from a hunt and Joel is waiting with his wife Florence (Elaine Miles) with a gun.
He tells Mason he’s looking for his brother, although Mason says he hasn’t seen him or anyone.
Joel asks what’s the best way to go west, and Mason tells him, “Yes, go east,” while Florence adds that if his brother is west of the river, he’s gone.
Ellie says, “You’re not going to scare us,” but Florence adds, “It scares him,” while Joel leaves, frustrated.
Outside Mason’s booth, he has a minor panic attack, despite insisting he’s fine.
Ellie tries to reassure him that everything will be fine, they just have to ‘cross the river of death’.
They are seen walking through the desolate landscape before finding the “River of Death” as Joel says they will set up camp in one of the caves.
Ellie says she’s starving and they should have stolen Mason’s rabbits, but Joel says he can get her own rabbits.
They relax by the fire when Ellie asks to have some of the liquor in his bottle, insisting “just to warm up”.
She takes a sip and says it’s gross and returns it before asking Joel what he would do if they complete their mission and create a cure.
“Maybe… an old farmhouse, some land… a ranch,” he added, “I would raise sheep. They are silent… do as they are told.”
She added that she’s read everything in the QZ library, but her favorite was reading about astronaut Sally Ride, who she thinks is “the best astronaut name ever.”
She asks if he thinks the vaccine will really work, adding that she tried to save Sam because she knew he was infected.
“I rubbed some of my blood into his bite. I know, I know it was stupid. But I… I wanted to save him,” she says, while he adds, “Well, I think it’s a lot more complicated than that.”
Joel wakes up in a panic to find Ellie standing guard as she reveals, “I woke up early. You passed out, so I took second watch.
He tells her, “You have to wake me up when this happens,” adding, “Because I just did it. I’m responsible for you, okay?’
“Then don’t fall asleep. I was silent, I checked my six, I looked for clues, I found the high ground and I stood guard. like you taught me what can i say man I’m a natural,” she says when he tells her to wake him up next time.
They start their day seeing what Ellie repeatedly refers to as the “river of death” before being surrounded by mounted men with guns.
“We’re not looking for trouble, we’re just passing through,” Joel says when one of the men tells him to drop the gun.
One of the men tells Ellie to take five steps back, and she does as she is told when they ask if they were near any walkers.
They bring out a dog that can apparently sniff and tell if someone is infected, and Joel passes the test.
But now they tell the dog to sniff Ellie as the dog starts growling and approaches her but she starts playing with the dog.
The man says they bought each other another 10 seconds as Joel says he is looking for his brother as a black woman asks his name and he says Joel.
They all ride back to their settlement with Joel and Ellie as the guards open the huge gates for them as we see a busy settlement.
Joel finds his brother and yells at him as they run towards each other and hug in the middle of town.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Tommy asks while Joel says “I came here to save you” while they both laugh.
They walk into a cafeteria as they start eating while Joel thanks them for their first real meal in quite a while.
Joel says he wants some family time while Tommy says Maria is family and reveals they are husband and wife while Tommy takes them on a tour.
Maria says they’ve stopped most of the raids, adding that they stay away from the radios as they continue the tour, revealing that they get their energy from the water.
“This place f*cking works,” Ellie says as they spot some sheep, while Ellie tells Joel to take a look.
She was seen talking to Ellie in the trailer and telling her, “Be careful who you put your trust in. The only people who can betray us are those we trust.”
HBO announced on the renewal of The Last of Us that the premiere episode of the series has surpassed 22 million viewers through on-demand formats, five times the viewership of the linear show.
Episode 2 of The Last of Us drew 5.7 million viewers Sunday night in the United States across HBO Max and linear TV shows, based on Nielsen and first-party data, adding more than 1 million new viewers since the series premiere.
This 22% increase marks the largest second-week viewership growth for any HBO original drama series in the history of the network.
The Last of Us was also a hit on social media, with the series #1 on Twitter during its series debut both in the US and worldwide.
To date, the first season’s teasers and trailers have been viewed more than 100 million times worldwide.
Additionally, the first episode of the series’ companion podcast reached #1 on the Apple Podcast US charts across all genres within 48 hours of its release.
Season 1 of The Last of Us will consist of nine episodes, with the season finale set to debut on Sunday March 12, the same day as the 95th Academy Awards.
Ellie: She was seen speaking to Ellie in the trailer and telling her, ‘Be careful who you trust. The only people who can betray us are those we trust.”
Renewed: HBO announced on the renewal of The Last of Us that the premiere episode of the series has surpassed 22 million viewers through on-demand formats, five times the viewership for linear broadcast
Social Media: The Last of Us was also a hit on social media, with the series topping the US and global Twitter charts during its series debut