The Last Of Us Season 2: Episode 2 (Through The Valley) 8 Ups & 1 Down

After everything that they went through together in season one, from total strangers and trying to kill each other to being essentially the most important person in each others' lives, it was difficult to see how far Joel and Ellie had drifted apart.

That's the thing about time jumps, is that it allows for dynamics to be completely changed at the snap of a finger. That's not to say that this development has come out of nowhere, since Ellie clearly never believed him about what happened at Salt Lake, but it still stung.

By the start of 'Through the Valley', things had only deteriorated worse after the scuffle at the party the night before, but Ellie offered up some hope. She told Jesse that no matter how bad things looked, no matter what happened, she was still Ellie, and he was still Joel.

This was her way of saying that he was like a father to her, that she loved him, and that she always would. It was a touching moment that only strengthened their bond together, but also made what happened later all the more painful.