Ellie’s messing around with her secret gun in the bathroom, pointing and posing. She learns how to reload ammo and goes to find Joel. He’s siphoning gas for their truck. And – in true dad mode – he warns Ellie not to wander off. With a captive audience, she reads Joel a pun from her joke book. He’s not amused.
When they get back in the truck Ellie finds an old tape (Alone and Forsaken!) and one of Bill’s *ahem* magazines, which is light on reading and heavy on naked guys. Joel, clearly uncomfortable, tells Ellie it’s not for kids. Ellie asks why the pages are stuck together, laughing as Joel’s brain reboots, and throws it out of the window.
They pass abandoned cars and tanks, heading towards Kansas, and stop for the night. Joel parks between trees for camouflage and shelter. He cooks Bill’s food on a hot plate and refuses to light a fire when Ellie asks, warning that other humans might see the smoke. Ellie wonders if people would rob them, but Joel points out theft would be the least of their worries.
Night falls and they get into sleeping bags, Joel’s rifle by his side. Ellie tells one final joke, but he beats her to the punchline. Then Ellie asks if anyone will find them. Joel reassures her, and only then does she sleep. Joel gets up to keep watch.
Ellie wakes and is disgusted by the smell of coffee. Undeterred, Joel drinks his morning brew and drives on. Ellie reads the map, and he teaches her to pronounce the names of places she’s never visited. And Ellie risks asking about Tommy.
Joel reveals his brother enlisted because he dreamed of becoming a hero. Though Tommy’s a Desert Storm vet, Joel still tried to protect him after the outbreak – which is how Joel met Tess. Then Tommy met Marlene and bought into the Firefly mission of saving the world. But eventually Tommy quit, which is why Joel needs to rescue him again.
Ellie asks why Joel keeps going if he doesn’t believe there’s hope for the world. And Joel reveals his main motivation: family. He reminds Ellie that she’s just cargo, and he’s taking her to the Fireflies for Tess. Ellie nods off, waking as they drive down a congested highway. The road ahead is blocked. Either they can double back, wasting precious gas and daylight, or take a shortcut.
Joel chooses the shortcut, but quickly gets lost in the city. They drive past a smoking pile of ash and bone. The Quarantine Zone doors are wide open, FEDRA gone. A man limps towards the car begging for help. Ellie wants to stop, but Joel floors it. He drives straight into a trap.
Road spikes and a well placed cinderblock take out the truck. They crash into a laundry. Gunshots sound as Joel and Ellie flee the truck, taking cover. Joel tells Ellie to hide while he takes out their pursuers.
But Joel’s gun jams as the last enemy attacks, ready to avenge his fallen friends. Ellie shoots him, and stands frozen as their attacker pleads for his life. Joel takes the choice out of Ellie’s hands – along with her gun – and she turns her back while Joel executes him. More enemies patrol the streets in military vehicles as Joel and Ellie run.
Now we meet Kathleen, leader of the militia group. She’s interrogating an old man about missing people, desperate to know where Henry is. Edelstein doesn’t give anything away, though he apologizes for Kathleen’s suffering. Edelstein begs for his life, promising that he never ratted out Kathleen’s brother. Kathleen reveals that Henry did, and presses Edelstein for a location.
A horn sounds, and Kathleen leaves the cell to join her people, gathered to mourn the men Joel killed. Kathleen shoots Edelstein without hesitation and sends more men out to capture Henry.
Joel and Ellie hide in an old shop, watching as men in riot gear search the city. They discuss possible escape plans. Then Joel opens up for the first time, saying Ellie is just a kid and she shouldn’t have to hurt anyone. He apologizes. Ellie wipes her eyes. And Joel gets uncomfortable when she cries.
Ellie admits it wasn’t her first kill, and Joel returns her gun. He teaches her how to hold it properly, so she can’t be easily disarmed. And Joel is a proud Papa Bear.
Perry, Kathleen’s right hand man (who might sound familiar…), shows her a hiding place – not Joel and Ellie’s shop, but an attic. The walls are covered in a child’s superhero drawings, and empty cans litter the floor. Kathleen is sure Henry is nearby because he’d never let Sam starve.
Then Perry leads Kathleen to a basement. The floor is falling in, rippling. Perry wants to handle the infected underneath, but Kathleen insists they hunt Henry down first.
Joel boosts Ellie through a vent and they break into high-rise flats, climbing endless flights of stairs. Ellie asks how he knew it was an ambush. And Joel admits to having been on both sides, reasoning that he did what was needed to protect Tommy. Ellie asks if he killed a lot of innocent people. A shifty Joel changes the subject.
Thirty-three floors up, Ellie makes them beds out of sofa cushions while Joel sprinkles broken glass so they’ll hear anyone coming. This time it’s Joel who asks a personal question, about who else Ellie hurt. And Ellie refuses to answer. Joel tries to comfort her, and Ellie lightens the mood with a pun about diarrhea. This time Joel laughs with her.
But the glass trap doesn’t work. Joel wakes to Ellie screaming for him. They’re being held at gunpoint by a man – and a little boy with a superhero mask.
