The Last of Us 1×04 “Please Hold to My Hand” is the epitome of why fans love Joel and Ellie. No tea, no shade to previous episodes of this series, but this is what we’ve been waiting for. And every step of the way to get to this moment where Joel can teach Ellie about things, Ellie fires back with terrible puns, and they start working on the unique bond they share. Because Ellie, she isn’t a replacement for what Joel lost. No one will replace Sarah. But in small but significant ways, we see a change in him and it’s reflected in Ellie’s behavior.
So deep breaths, let’s start with Joel before we find ourselves in an epic spiral with no direction in sight.
Joel Finally Opening Up to Ellie
Joel has been hesitant to take Ellie from the start. He doesn’t want to get attached to anything and anyone. Because in his eyes, connections like that make you weak. That’s why he never truly let Tess in. He doesn’t want to lose people. So he squashed down the man he was after Sarah died. He took all that love, hope, and joy and put it in a box deep into his heart. And no, he’s not suddenly like, “Ellie’s my daughter now and I’ll protect her forever.” That’s later.
Where Joel is in “Please Hold to My Hand” is…well, the beginnings of healing. He’s still got tons of work to do but now he’s taking Ellie where she needs to go because he knows he’s the man for the job. And if along the way he gets to know the sarcastic little shit that is Ellie with the greatest puns of all time, then so be it. Because she’s capable and living in a world that isn’t going to change anytime soon. She needs to learn how to live in this world and Joel is the person to help her with that.
In addition, Joel is in this phase where he’s starting to realize that Ellie is not Sarah. It’s not fully formed that idea. After all, he needs to tell Ellie that line where the diary is involved aka where he tells her they’re not family. But it’s healing is coming for him every day that he spends with Ellie. And it really shows that healing isn’t linear. It happens in phases, there are days when you slip into old habits and when you falter. But you eventually come out on the other side as a transformed person. That’s where Joel is heading.
Ellie Opening Up to Joel
We need to talk about the quiet moments when it comes to Ellie in The Last of Us 1×04. Because we know her when it comes to her being brash and bold. And that’s her. Without a doubt. But like every person in the world, she’s got insecurities, doubts, and fears. And we feel like she matched Joel’s vulnerability in this episode and reminded the audience that she’s just a kid trying to figure out who she is in a big and scary world. Thankfully, she’s got Joel there to guide her.
You see Ellie start to realize that Joel is different and that he’s not going anywhere. So she starts telling him puns, asking questions, and being the kid she’s never been allowed to be. And with the weight of the entire human race on her shoulders, she needed Joel. She didn’t know how much she needed him before. But we think she’s starting to love the bond she is forming with Joel and protecting him in the same way he’s protected her. Because, even though Joel isn’t there yet, he feels like something akin to family to Ellie.
You see the growing trust Ellie has in Joel through her jokes. But it’s also in the way that she absolutely clunked out in that truck. You don’t just sleep like that with anyone. You sleep like that when you know there is someone who will protect you in your vulnerable moments. And that kind of bond, the knowledge that she can rest with no worries, you can’t buy that. Personally, we think Ellie understands that. But it’s the beginning of their journey still and we can’t wait to see how they grow as a family.
And Then There’s Henry and Sam
The Last of Us 1×04 “Please Hold to My Hand” was a reprieve from what comes next. And the choice to make Sam, pictured above, younger…it’s going to change the dynamics of so much of what is to come. But if there’s anything we have, it’s faith in The Last of Us that they are going to hold our hands and help us make it through the trials they are all about to face.
Until then, here are some terrible puns:
- Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.
- A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’ll serve you, but don’t start anything.”
- Broken pencils are pointless.
- I can’t stand Russian dolls. They’re so full of themselves.
- A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: “A beer please, and one for the road.”
- Why couldn’t the pony sing in the choir? He was a little horse.
- The past, the present and the future all walk into a bar. It was tense.
- I dropped my toothpaste, I’m crestfallen.
- An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.
- If a kid won’t take a nap, is that “resisting a rest”?
The Last of Us (usually) airs new episodes every Sunday on HBO. But with the Super Bowl around the corner, the new episode is going to be available on demand this upcoming Friday.
