The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: “The Price” and Joel’s Final Goodbye

After weeks of violence, trauma, and emotional erosion, The Last of Us finally gives us a breather—or at least, a different kind of heartbreak. Episode 6, “The Price” takes a bold swing with a mostly flashback-driven story centered around Joel. Yes, Joel. Pedro Pascal returns in full, and it's both comforting and cruel.

The episode traces Joel's journey from his teenage years in Texas to his last significant moments with Ellie in Jackson. It’s tender, layered, and in some ways—perhaps unintentionally—devastating. We’re reminded of the warmth that once existed between Joel and Ellie, which only makes the hole he left behind feel deeper.

Back in Time: A Boy Becoming a Man

We open in 1983. Young Joel and Tommy are about to get chewed out by their cop father after a skirmish and some underage weed shopping. But instead of violence, their dad offers Joel a beer and a brutal family story: about his own father breaking his jaw out of “love”. It’s a painful moment masked as wisdom—an origin story of intergenerational trauma disguised as parenting.

“You’ll do a little better than me” the father tells Joel. That line haunts the episode.

Jackson Days: The Soft Side of Survival

Flash-forward to post-Salt Lake City life in Jackson. Joel is… soft. In a good way. He’s carving guitars, trading for birthday cakes, and gently parenting a reckless, vulnerable Ellie. The scenes are sweet, even if the show leans a little too hard into nostalgia at times. (The A-ha tape and the Pearl Jam serenade feel almost fan-servicey, but I’ll allow it—Pascal's voice? Rough but perfect.)

We see a version of Joel that never really existed in Season 1: domestic, funny, warm. It’s a joy to watch, but also uncomfortable. This version of Joel is almost too idealized—as if we’re being shown the man he wished he could’ve been, or the memory Ellie wants to cling to.

The Rift Begins

As Ellie hits 17, the warmth cools. Joel walks in on her getting high, tattooed, and making out with a girl. He reacts poorly, the “cool dad” mask cracking. The fight is small, but it triggers the larger unraveling.

One powerful symbol here is the moth, something Ellie keeps drawing. It’s discussed as a metaphor for change, or maybe death, or maybe something else entirely—“a greater purpose”, she says. It's clear she's trying to make sense of who she is, of why she's still alive, and of what it means that she's immune in a world that doesn’t seem to care.

Eugene’s Death – A Moral Line Crossed

The emotional centerpiece of the episode is Joel’s decision to kill Eugene, a bitten but still-lucid man who just wants to say goodbye to his wife. Ellie, compassionate as ever, argues to grant him that dignity. Joel, ever the pragmatist, disagrees. He lies to Ellie, lies to Eugene’s wife, and tries to carry on like nothing happened.

But Ellie snaps. “You swore”, she tells him. It's a brutal line. Her trust in Joel, already strained, shatters completely here.

This plot point is strong in theory—illustrating Joel’s need to control outcomes at all costs—but it’s also where the episode falters slightly. Joel’s choice feels both in-character and not. It’s consistent with his ruthlessness, sure, but by now, we’ve also seen him evolve. Was there truly no better way?

The Final Conversation: Closure… Almost

The last scene is a stunner. Ellie confronts Joel on his porch. Dina’s in the air. So are Ellie’s unresolved questions from Salt Lake City. Joel doesn’t lie. For once, he just… nods. And breaks.

Her line—“My life would’ve fucking mattered”—lands like a gut punch. So does his reply: “Because I love you”. It's messy, raw, and honest in a way this show hasn’t been for a while. It’s the closest they come to peace, and it’s heartbreakingly temporary.

That closing echo of Joel’s dad’s words—“I hope you do better than me”—isn't just a callback. It's a torch being passed. Ellie is on the edge of parenthood herself, and now we understand the weight she carries. Not just as someone immune to the virus, but as someone molded by loss, love, and betrayal.

Final Thoughts

“The Price” is, fittingly, about what we’re willing to sacrifice to protect the ones we love—and the cost that comes with it. It’s a gorgeously acted episode (Pascal and Ramsey are on another level here), but not without some over-sentimentality. At times, it feels like the show wants to apologize for killing Joel by giving him one last, glimmering redemption arc.

It mostly works. Mostly.

But love in The Last of Us is never clean. And this episode reminds us: the cost of love is grief. And the cost of survival? Sometimes, it’s trust.