The Last of Us: This is what happens in “Kin” (S1 E6)

It’s been three months for Joel and Ellie on The Last of Us since the deaths of Henry and Sam. Both have gained access to the cabin of a couple who Joel wants to know where his brother Tommy is. But the two spouses react extremely relaxed to his threatening gestures. However, they advise Joel and Ellie that they should go back to the east of the former USA, because further west there is only a river waiting for the two that nobody has crossed alive. The situation is further complicated by the fact that shortly after he and Ellie left the couple, Joel also had a fainting fit.

The Last of Us: Tommy and Joel have some work to do.
Source: Sky/HBO


But Joel doesn’t let that dissuade him from his mission and a little later he and Ellie face a group of masked people, which is probably the reason why nobody crosses the river of death alive. But when it becomes clear that the masked men know Tommy and Joel is his brother, they take him and Ellie away.

The Last of Us: Fraternal conflicts between Joel and Tommy

The group reaches a town where Joel finally sees his brother again after a long time and meets his wife. Tommy also explains why he had to break off contact with Joel: nobody should know that the city and its inhabitants exist. Not the best conditions for the two to talk openly with each other. Even more so, when Tommy explains that he is about to become a father, it naturally reminds Joel of his late daughter Sarah and he and his brother start fighting. Sarah tells Ellie about Tommy’s wife, who at the same time warns her not to trust everyone blindly right away.

The Last of Us: Ellie has to decide who she wants to travel with.
Source: Sky/HBO


Meanwhile, Tommy and Joel are making at least some progress with their pronunciation. Enough for Joel to explain to his brother who Ellie actually is and why she has to join the Fireflies. In the series, this conversation takes place differently than in the game template. There, Joel gives the impression of wanting to get rid of Ellie.

In the series, on the other hand, he’s not sure if he’s physically capable of bringing her to the Fireflies. Joel even reveals to Tommy that he’s felt almost constantly overwhelmed for the past few weeks. The result is the same though: Tommy is forced to agree to take on Joel’s job and Ellie wonders if she really is nothing more than a piece of contraband. Ready to accept her fate anyway, she wants to ride off with Tommy the next morning. But Joel seems to have reconsidered. He wants to let Ellie choose who to travel with and she immediately chooses Joel. But the two don’t get very far. When highwaymen ambush them, Joel is badly injured and when he falls off his horse it looks like his last hour has come.