The Last of Us season 2 just showed how positive masculinity can survive an apocalypse

This article contains spoilers for episode 6, titled "The Price," from The Last of Us season 2 on HBO.

The second season of The Last of Us has mostly focused on the love story between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). Throughout the season, fans have seen the pair starting a relationship and going to Seattle to track down the group of people who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of his adopted daughter.

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The sixth episode of The Last of Us season 2, "The Price," was a "flashback episode" that went back to a time period when Joel and Ellie had recently made their way to Jackson — and beyond!

For instance, viewers get to see Ellie's 15th, 16th, and 17th birthdays, how she and Joel settled into their lives in Jackson, and even explored how each of them grew as individuals.

The lingering tension between Joel and Ellie — depicted in the very first episode of The Last of Us season 2 — gained some more context in episode 6. The show's use of flashbacks helped highlight that their strained relationship started on Ellie's 17th birthday.

As Joel tried to surprise Ellie with a birthday cake, he ended up hearing laughter from her bedroom. This prompted Joel to push the door open and see his daughter rushing to button up her shirt after making out with another young woman named Kat.

After kicking out Kat, Joel yelled at Ellie for getting a tattoo, smoking weed, and "experimenting" with girls. Ellie clapped back that she wasn't "experimenting," which prompted Joel to say that she's probably just confused.

It's a heartbreaking moment that, Joel realizes, pushed Ellie away from him.

It takes Joel a while to come around to the idea that his daughter is gay — but the important thing is that he does, eventually, get there. In their last conversation, Joel showed unapologetic support for Ellie and her blossoming relationship with Dina.

Many parents have bad first reactions to their kids coming out. And yet, it's fair to underscore that first reactions from parents are often their worst reactions to the coming-out of a loved one. Thankfully, Joel ultimately learned, grew, and realized that his behavior pushed Ellie away from him. All he wanted was to mend that relationship.

Episode 6 also shows a flashback to Joel's teen years, when he protected his brother, Tommy, from a beating from their dad.

Joel's father (Tony Dalton) explains to his son that his own dad used to beat him much more severely. As the father considers whether or not he's doing better than his parent, he also wishes for Joel to be an even better dad than he was able to.

This profound moment shows the possibility of growth, and that "generational repair and hope" are possible — topics brought up by The Last of Us writers in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"It also provides us a glimmer of hope for the future for Ellie," Halley Gross, who also wrote on The Last of Us Part II video game, told the publication. "To me, what the arc of this episode provides is a platform to say [that] when we live with intentionality, we can make healthier choices, but what that requires is reflection. That requires Joel to look back at his father and his identity and say, 'I want to be that better dad.' What it's going to require of Ellie is some level of reflection of saying, 'This is who I am. Who do I want to be?'"

Even in a world where where Joel, a father, has to always watch his back and be willing to shoot members of his community who get infected, he eventually realizes that he can't be completely closed off to emotions.

The character development and exploration of Joel Miller in season 2 is a great example of positive masculinity. He's everything that many men aspire to be: A hard worker, strong figure, and a courageous leader of his community. Pascal's performance still brings out the tough man loved by OG fans of The Last of Us video games, while also making room to show him learning and growing as an individual.

When Joel died and season 2 of The Last of Us started focusing on Ellie, Dina, and their queer relationship together, conservative critics started review-bombing the series and complaining that it was no longer about their straight, male hero — it was now about two young queer women.

The version of Joel explored in episode 6 would certainly beat up anyone talking about Ellie the way people talk about her actor, Bella Ramsey, on social media. That same Joel would look down on people who complain about the show's "woke agenda."

Our favorite father figure indeed.

The Last of Us season 2 airs Sundays on HBO Max.