What Ellie’s Song in The Last of Us Episode 4 Means for Her and Joel’s Story, Explained
Ellie and Dina’s touching moment in The Last of Us’ recent episode draws parallels with the former’s relationship with Joel, even without Pedro Pascal’s character being present on the screen. Here’s why it’s a crucial moment for Ellie now that Joel is gone.
It seems like The Last of Us isn’t done with shattering its fans’ hearts yet, introducing a touching tribute to Pedro Pascal’s Joel in the sophomore season’s newest episode.
The story continues as Ellie and Dina are seen exploring Seattle’s abandoned building in a search for something useful before their encounter with Abby. At some point, Ellie discovers a long-forgotten music store that still keeps untouched precious records and even brand new instruments.
The plot twist is a major reference to Joel itself, but the episode goes on with Ellie playing a particular song for Dina, making a strong connection to both Joel and the original video game as well.
Ellie’s Song Choice in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4, Explained
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In the episode, Ellie starts singing a-ha’s Take on Me right after discovering a brand new guitar carefully kept in a case in the music store.
She is then interrupted by Dina who follows the sound, but then reprises the song anyway.
Even with some minor differences, the scene connects directly to The Last of Us’ video game where Ellie is first seen playing Pearl Jam’s Future Days and then continuing with Take on Me.
The first song doesn’t make it to the TV adaptation, but means a lot to Ellie since Future Days was the first song that Joel played for her and then taught her to play herself.
On top of that, the scene eventually gets another direct mention of Joel, with Ellie stating that his guitar lessons weren’t just for nothing after all.
Why the Guitar Scene Is a Key Moment for Ellie’s Healing After Joel’s Death
The episode doesn’t just feature another reference to Ellie’s father figure, but also marks the first time she’s seen genuinely happy after Joel’s passing.
It was Joel who taught her the chords and gave her another useful skill to pass the time with, adding something else to the list of things they shared.
It seems pretty obvious that the guitar itself is what makes Ellie think about Joel and the moments they had together, and the instrument does appear to be even more precious for her now that the memory of him is everything she will have from now on.
When Is The Last of Us Next Episode Coming?
The show’s season 2 episode 5 will air on Max on May 11 while the remaining two episodes will be released on May 18 and May 25 respectively.
