Did Ellie Lie About Her Last Interaction With Joel In The Last Of Us, Or Are We In Store For A Heartbreaking Flashback?

When she speaks to Gail in The Last of Us season 2, episode 3, Ellie seems to suggest that her final interaction with Joel was at the New Year’s Eve party, but it’s likely that she’s lying. In the season premiere, after Dina kissed Ellie and Seth called them a homophobic slur, Joel stepped in to give him a shove. But instead of thanking him for intervening as he’d hoped, Ellie gets angry at Joel. She’s sick of being in his shadow and wants to assert independence, so she doesn’t appreciate his help.

Later that night, when Ellie approaches Joel on his porch, she ignores him and walks off to her garage. The following morning, when she’s talking to Jesse, she hints that she and Joel have worked through their problems and they’re doing much better. But in The Last of Us season 2, episode 3, “The Path,” when she speaks to Gail at the hospital, Ellie claims that her last interaction with Joel was the unpleasantness at the party. So, did Ellie lie to Gail?

Ellie Implies That Her Last Interaction With Joel Happened At The New Year's Eve Dance In The Last Of Us

Did They Really End Things On Such A Sour Note?

“The Path” picks up three months after the heartbreaking events of the previous episode. Jackson is slowly but surely rebuilding, and Joel’s loved ones are mourning his loss. Ellie has recovered from her wounds, but before she can be discharged from the hospital, she has to speak to Gail. During this conversation, Ellie mentions that the last time she spoke with Joel was when she yelled at him at the New Year’s Eve dance.

She saw him on the porch later that night, hinting that the show would include a recreation of Joel and Ellie’s iconic porch scene from the video game, but it made it look like she didn’t speak to him. So, is the TV show skipping this beloved video game scene or is Ellie lying to Gail? Ellie previously told Jesse that she hashed things out with Joel after the dance, but she may have just said that to get him to drop the subject.

Ellie's History Of Lying Means The Porch Flashback With Joel Can Still Happen

It Could Appear At The Very End Of The Story, Like In The Game

Later in the episode, Gail tells Tommy that Ellie is a liar. She didn’t believe a word of Ellie’s speech to the town council; she thinks Ellie’s quest for revenge is purely personal, not a noble effort for the greater good. Ellie’s history of lying means that it’s entirely possible that her final interaction with Joel was the much warmer conversation seen in the game. In the game, it’s not until the very end of the story that this flashback is revealed, and it recontextualizes everything. The Last of Us TV show could be saving it for the same purpose.