The last of us : Discover how birthdays, secrets & one fatal lie tore apart gaming’s most beloved father-daughter duo.
Table of Contents
Birthday Beginnings
Joel always paid the price for those he loved. From taking Tommy’s punishments to dooming humanity for Ellie, his sacrifices ran deep.
Yet between these painful choices, he found moments of pure joy that made it all worthwhile.
Their story unfolds through birthday celebrations in Jackson, starting with Joel crafting a special guitar.
He etches a moth design onto the neck—a symbol he spotted in Ellie’s drawings but never fully understood. The guitar becomes his gift of love.
Burnt Secrets and Cake Fingers
Their plans hit a snag when Ellie burns her bite scar, wanting to wear short sleeves again.
High on painkillers, she apologizes with such raw sincerity that Joel can’t help but pull her into a hug. Some wounds run deeper than others.
When her cake appears (with “Eli” written on it), Ellie plunges her hand right in the moment Joel turns away.
It’s these unguarded moments that show her true self—still a kid underneath all that toughness.
Dinosaurs and Spaceships
For Ellie’s 16th, Joel leads her through the woods to a life-sized dinosaur statue.
But the real surprise waits beyond—a preserved science museum where she climbs into Apollo 15 with a stolen helmet. Her face lights up with childlike wonder.
Joel hands her a Walkman with the 1969 moon landing recording.
As Ellie closes her eyes, she escapes Earth briefly, the capsule rumbling around her. Joel watches, tears streaming down his face at her pure happiness.
Growing Pains
At 17, Joel discovers Ellie smoking weed with Kat while getting her now-iconic tattoo.
His anger fades when he realizes this is just Ellie becoming herself.
He offers to fix up the garage as her new space, recognizing her need for independence.
What Joel never sees is the note on one of her moth drawings: “You have a greater purpose.”
While he thinks moths symbolize death, Ellie sees something more—perhaps what Salt Lake City could have meant.
The Fatal Truth
Everything shatters during Ellie’s first patrol when they encounter Eugene, bitten and doomed. Despite her pleas to let him say goodbye to Gail, Joel executes him by the lake.
When Ellie discovers this betrayal, she confronts Joel with devastating clarity.
Later, on New Year’s Eve, she finally demands the truth about Salt Lake City.
Joel confesses everything—no raiders, no other immune people, just his choice to save her over humanity. “I’d do it all over again,” he admits.
Forgiveness Interrupted
“I might not be able to forgive you,” Ellie tells him, breaking his heart.
Then adds, “But I would like to try.” Their chance at reconciliation ends in that Jackson ski lodge, but her path for revenge continues through rainy Seattle streets.
Some prices are too high, even for Joel Miller.