Joel And Ellie Holding Hands In TLOU Episode 7 Has Fans Feeling Some Type Of Way

Contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 7 — Left Behind

HBO's "The Last of Us" is deep into its video game source material, with this week's episode giving fans of both properties one of the show's most faithful episodes yet. After last week's chaotic ending, which left Joel (Pedro Pascal) with a gnarly stab wound, Ellie manages to get the grizzled survivor to an abandoned house. He tells her to leave him, and she begrudgingly exits the basement. The series then flashes back to the story of Ellie and Riley (Storm Reid), adapting the story of the first game's DLC and showing audiences how Ellie gets bitten.

After "The Last of Us" concludes Ellie and Riley's tragic story, audiences see Ellie return to Joel, bringing a sewing needle to help. The two then share an emotional moment, as she didn't leave him in the basement to die, and Joel uses whatever strength he has to hold Ellie's hand. Pascal and Ramsey convey so many emotions in the scene without uttering a single word to one another, bringing a sense of vulnerability to Joel and Ellie's rugged exteriors.

Fans that have played the video game know how important of a moment that was for them as they inch closer and closer to a father-daughter-like bond. Unfortunately, those same fans know what's coming with next week's episode, and it will further test Joel and Ellie's relationship. Until then, fans can relish one of the few happy moments in "The Last of Us," crying together on social media over Joel and Ellie holding hands.

"The Last of Us" fans collectively lost their minds after Joel showed some father-like vulnerability holding Ellie's hand. Not a single word was needed to convey his gratefulness that she returned to save him instead of leaving him for dead, and fans couldn't take it anymore. 

On Twitter, @dickgrcyson posted a clip from the scene, saying, "Joel holding Ellie's hand and grabbing her arm because he's in pain. I can't stop crying." Echoing a similar sentiment, @shootyourarrows said, "Ellie sewing [Joel] up, the look that passed between them, Ellie holding his hand! My heart can't take this s***!" Needless to say, holding hands was the talk of the town, as @jesusisexhausted and @blackpearl4_4, like many others, couldn't contain their emotions, with the latter describing the moment as "everything." 

Emotions were also running high on Reddit, as u/g__barrow wrote, "Seeing Joel hold her hand and grab her arm as she stitches him up broke me. He's in a position where he's completely dependent on her to survive, and [he] finally gives into that." Some called it the episode's highlight, while u/Madi27 pointed out Joel's vulnerability, showing that Ellie is becoming a rock for him. Looking forward, u/dani-paiva stated that Joel and Ellie's relationship wouldn't be the same, saying, "It's clear after this that Ellie and Joel can't afford to lose each other. The holding of the hands spoke volumes." 

Of course, in typical "The Last of Us" fashion, the Reddit discussion thread was full of fans, like u/hellotheredani, u/parkwayy, and u/thatguyned, wiping away the tears after the latest episode, with the latter asking, "How much more s*** can they put Ellie through?"