Farewell on the Porch: How The Last of Us Series Reinvents a Key Moment from the Game
The penultimate episode of The Last of Us Season 2 revisits a key moment from the game with a fresh perspective, delivering a heartbreaking flashback where Joel finally confesses the truth about Salt Lake City to Ellie.
Episode 6 of The Last of Us season 2 delivers a scene of rare intensity, both devastating and profoundly human. On the porch of a house bathed in silence, Joel and Ellie share their final words. A somber yet heartbreaking sequence that echoes the video game while adopting a unique tone specific to the adaptation. After “The Path,” which diverged from the original work to sensitively explore Ellie’s grief, and Episode 4, which brilliantly reimagined a classic scene from the game, HBO once again proves its ability to transcend the source material. By placing Joel and Ellie’s relationship at the heart of the story, the series continues to explore the complex bonds forged in a dying world with nuance.
Image credit: Naughty Dog
A Final Moment Stolen from Tragedy
Episode 6 of Season 2 takes us into a poignant flashback, five years after the dramatic events in Salt Lake City. Joel is already dead in the main timeline, but his presence shines through in this look back. This porch conversation is their final exchange, a bittersweet pause that the video game The Last of Us Part II also explored, though in a different form.
This suspended moment reveals the full complexity of Joel and Ellie’s bond. There’s a tangible tenderness, mixed with an underlying tension. Ellie can no longer avoid the truth. She wants to know what really happened at the hospital. Joel ultimately confesses everything:
- The Fireflies could create a cure using Ellie
- But it would have meant her death
- So he chose to save her by eliminating everyone standing between them
A harsh revelation that Ellie had long suspected. The day before, while talking with Nora, she had sensed this secret, but it is here, on this silent porch, that she fully grasps it.
“If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at the moment, I would do it all over again.”
— Joel
Joel knows his choice was selfish. He admits it, owns it. And above all, he would do it again. For him, Ellie was worth more than the rest of the world. It’s not just about love; it’s about emotional survival. After Sarah’s death, Joel never truly recovered… until Ellie.
And despite the lies, despite the guilt, he remains true to what he feels. This line, “he would do it all over again,” is the beating heart of this scene. It’s a farewell without regret, but not without pain.
A Heartbreaking Echo of the Video Game
Joel and Ellie share a similar scene in The Last of Us Part II, though some elements have been rearranged. At this point in the game, Ellie has already confronted Joel about Salt Lake City during a flashback where she runs off to the hospital herself to uncover what really happened. But HBO chose to move this conversation to become their true final exchange, rather than an interim scene in a quest for truth.
This rewrite doesn’t lessen the emotional impact. On the contrary, it enhances it. By presenting this scene as a final breath, the series seals Joel and Ellie’s story not on violence… but on a possible redemption.
And perhaps that is the strongest message of The Last of Us: in a devastated world, there is always a corner of humanity… on a porch, on New Year’s Eve.
A Rage Fueled by Love and Sacrifice
Why is Ellie so angry? Because beyond the betrayal, Joel stole her choice. She might have accepted to die if it meant saving humanity. What the Fireflies took from her, Joel confirmed: the chance to give meaning to her life.
And yet, this is also what makes their relationship so heartbreaking. Joel didn’t act out of calculation, but instinct. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing a second daughter. He wasn’t a hero. He was a father. A broken father.
