What Song Ellie Sings In The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 4 & How It Connects To Joel

Ellie sings a song for Dina in The Last of Us season 2, episode 4, and this musical moment has a touching connection to Joel and the original video game. After Ellie and Dina arrived in Seattle in last week’s episode, The Last of Us season 2, episode 4 begins their search for Abby and the Wolves. They see a W.L.F. tag on a nearby TV station and decide to wait until dark before they sneak in and attack. While they’re waiting out the sun, they hole up in an abandoned music store.

There, Ellie finds a guitar that’s still in good condition and starts playing a song. Dina comes in to watch her performance and seems to be deeply moved by it. This scene is a near-shot-for-shot recreation of a similar sequence in The Last of Us Part II, right down to the song choice. Ellie’s performance has a deeper connection to Joel, and the song she plays is a callback to both the game and the first season of the show.

Ellie Plays & Sings A-Ha's "Take On Me" For Dina In The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 4

The Scene Is Ripped Straight From The Video Game

The song that Ellie plays for Dina in The Last of Us season 2, episode 4, is a beautiful acoustic rendition of a-ha’s “Take on Me.” This scene is taken straight from the game: the song choice, the setting, even the lighting. It’s easily missable in the game, because the player has to deliberately abandon the story to explore the surrounding area to find it, but that exploration is rewarded. “Take on Me” was previously featured in The Last of Us season 1, when Ellie and Riley are looking around the mall, in anticipation of this moment in season 2.

In the game, Ellie starts playing the opening notes of Pearl Jam’s “Future Days” — the first song that Joel played for her and, presumably, the first song he taught her how to play — but when Dina comes in, she quickly stops playing, because she’s not ready to talk about Joel yet. The TV show cuts out this part, because it also cut out Joel’s “Future Days” performance (and because, in the show, Ellie is much more comfortable talking about Joel at this point in the timeline). But the scene in the show still has a connection to Joel.

After she finishes playing and Dina compliments her performance, Ellie mentions that all the lessons Joel gave her have paid off. The season previously hinted that Joel had taught Ellie how to play guitar when he offered to restring her instrument in the premiere episode. This “Take on Me” performance is the first confirmation that Joel did, indeed, teach Ellie how to play (and taught her well).

Why "Take On Me" Is So Important To Ellie & Her Relationship With Joel

Every Time Ellie Picks Up A Guitar, She's Reminded Of Joel

Ellie’s performance of “Take on Me” is deeply connected to her relationship with Joel, because playing the guitar is something they shared. The only reason she knows those chords is because Joel took the time to give her lessons and teach her how to play. Every time Ellie picks up a guitar, she’s reminded of Joel — and now, after Joel’s tragic and untimely death, that reminder is all she has. Dina is moved to tears by Ellie’s performance, because she, too, is reminded of Joel just from hearing those strings get plucked.

In both the game and the TV show, this is the only time that Ellie seems happy and optimistic after Joel’s death. Just for a moment, she was able to lose herself in the magic of song. The lyrics hint at Ellie’s burgeoning romance with Dina — “I’ll be comin’ for your love, okay” — and sets up the official start of their relationship later in the episode. Music is really important in The Last of Us, and now that Ellie can play her own music (and it’ll forever remind her of Joel), it’s about to get even more important.