Through heart wrenching performances by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the sixth episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, “Kin,” explores the complexities of family, love, fear, and the ties that bind all three.

*The rest of this article contains spoilers for the above-mentioned episode, as well as some aspects of The Last of Us: Part I video game.

There is a cut scene in The Last of Us: Part I that changes the tide of the game. The scene is short, subtle, and significant. It makes the player aware, with absolute certainty, that Joel has let himself truly care for Ellie in the way a father cares for a child. Most importantly, it does this by showing us a single look from Joel’s brother, Tommy. That look is beautifully expanded upon in “Kin.”

Failure and Fear

When Joel and Ellie find Tommy (Gabriel Luna) at a commune in Wyoming, they see him existing in a life of relative comfort. Despite Joel’s worries about his little brother, Tommy has helped create a safe haven for dozens of people, including his own burgeoning family. As he explores the commune and hears about Tommy’s new life, Joel realizes that his brother has achieved what he seemingly cannot.

The weight of his losses, and the weight of his responsibility for Ellie, is something we have seen Joel struggle with since the very first episode. He even says to Henry in episode five that it is easier on kids because “you don’t have anyone else relying on you.” It is no stretch to say that Joel views himself as a protector, someone who needs to ensure the safety of those around him. Every loss, therefore, is a reminder of how he has failed at his purpose.

Sarah, the daughter taken from his very arms. Tess, the partner infected under his watch. Bill and Frank, the only friends he had left. Henry and Sam, the brothers he took under his wing. Every person Joel has made some sort of promise to has died. Every person, that is, except for Tommy and Ellie. Tommy, safe with a wife and a baby on the way, does not need him anymore. But Ellie? Ellie’s entire life depends on him.

Choosing Our ‘Kin’

Most of this episode focuses on Joel accepting that he might not have what it takes to protect Ellie. His heart, his entire body, rejects the very idea of losing her.

In the game, we see this the way Tommy does. From across a room, after an ambush, as Joel runs to Ellie to make sure she’s okay. We see the fear in Joel’s eyes that a person only gets when someone they love has been in grave danger. A look, perhaps, that Tommy hasn’t seen from Joel since he held his dying daughter in his arms. It is then that we know, just as Tommy does, that losing Ellie would be the end of Joel.

The show takes this further by showing Joel unearth this revelation himself. Instead of begrudgingly accepting that Ellie means more to him than he thought, Joel tells Tommy that he cannot bear another failure. He admits to the anxiety that we see literally take his breath away at the mere thought of failing Ellie.

Joel is, for the first time, honest with himself, making his fears all the more tangible.

The Last of Us is a story about choices and love. More accurately, it’s about the choices we make in the name of love. Whether they be good or bad, they are choices. Until this point, Joel and Ellie have been thrust together by necessity, by a need to endure and survive.

Joel’s acceptance of his fear, though it leads to an argument with Ellie, gives him something he felt he did not previously have: a choice. It is bittersweet to fans of the game that Joel’s choice, in this instance, is to let Ellie make one of her own.

Loss and Loneliness

Earlier in the episode, Maria (Rutina Wesley) cautions Ellie about Joel, telling her that “the only people who can betray us are the ones we trust.” What she does not realize is that it is too late for Ellie. Though she, like Joel, did not have a choice on whether to start this journey with the person she is with, the minute she is given the option to decide for herself, she chooses him anyway.

Because the truth is, Ellie made her choice a long time ago. She says as much when she yells at Joel that he is the only person who has never left her, that without him, she would only be more scared. Maybe those words are what changes Joel’s mind. Maybe he realizes that his and Ellie’s fears are two sides of the same coin: loss and loneliness.

Joel cannot fail another person, Ellie does not want to live in this world alone.

It is therefore all the more heart breaking when we see Ellie cling to Joel’s fading body and whisper, “I can’t do this without you.” With those few words, she brings this episode full circle: Joel’s fears are realized, and Ellie’s are just beginning.

The Last of Us airs every Sunday at 9pm (EST) / 6pm (PST) on HBO Max.