The early relationship between Joel and Ellie is strained, as Joels survival instincts combine with the guilt he feels about failing to protect his own daughter to ensure he keeps his distance. Despite Joels hesitance to trust Ellie he begins to slowly take on the role of a father figure, doing everything that he can to protect her from harm, which both helps to lay some flesh on their growing relationship while also playing into the concept that Ellie is little more than a burden to Joel. This is entirely flipped on its head in the hotel in Pittsburgh when Joel is attacked by a Hunter and is literally moments away from death. With his life fading fast Ellie picks up Joels gun and kills his attacker, saving Joels life and showing him that she is actually a companion, and not simply a piece of cargo to be shipped. Though Joels reaction is understated he does subtly thank Ellie, who reacts in anger at just how little Joel seems to care about her killing a person for the first time. From then on Joel truly begins to trust Ellie and assigns more responsibility to her as they begin to work more as a tandem, which in turn leads to the strengthening of their relationship.
Lee Price is a writer for 411mania.com and Starburst Magazine, which is published in the UK. He is currently working as a freelance writer. He hopes to one day fund his addiction to video games by writing about video games, and he maintains a sporadically updated blog at leesrandombulls*it.wordpress.com
