After barely making it alive through Kansas City (and a close encounter with the Bloater) in Episode 5, the next episode of HBO's second-most-watched series of all time takes Joel and Ellie to Wyoming for a much-needed, if only temporary, emotionally charged respite.
Pedro Pascal's Joel has proven that he'll stop at nothing to protect his loved ones (and "cargo") at all costs. Unfortunately, the people closest to him don't always see him as a protector, at least in a positive light. Six episodes in, Joel finally reunites with his little brother, Tommy, who's played by Gabriel Luna. The last we saw of Tommy, he went from being someone who Joel always had to get out of trouble to splitting away from him following the first night of the Cordyceps outbreak.
It isn't clear if the night that Joel's daughter, Sarah, died was the last Joel and Tommy saw of each other or if the two stuck it out together first before going their separate ways, but it's clear that Joel still cares a lot about Tommy. However, there seems to be some unresolved tension between the two, which The Last of Us Episode 6 will likely explore.
The Last of Us Episode 6 will change Tommy and Ellie's journey through Wyoming. Rutina Wesley's Maria, the leader of the Jackson, Wyoming settlement, is straight out of the source material but the Tipsy Bison is not something we saw until The Last of Us Part II. This could just be a fun Easter Egg Neil Druckmann cooked up for a show full of blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments. However, Druckmann could also use it to plant a seed for the next season as well.
In any case, now that we're past the halfway point of HBO's The Last of Us, things only stand to become more emotionally charged as the finale draws closer. Video game fans know that this is where things will start to go sour between Joel and Ellie. Then again, we wouldn't be surprised if the flashbacks from The Last of Us Part II make their way to Season 1 of HBO's The Last of Us, so that the second season can focus entirely on the events of the sequel.
Another interesting thing to watch out for in The Last of Us Episode 6 is the viewership. We don't have the official numbers for Episode 5 just yet, but we're not expecting it to break the series' historical four-episode streak because most people forgot they could watch it ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
We'll find out more about The Last of Us Episode 6 when it premieres on February 19.
Speaking of HBO's The Last of Us, check out what the brains behind the bloater had to say about bringing the nightmarish creature to life.
