The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 will solve one of the show’s biggest mysteries

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 is set to focus on Joel and Ellie, but it will also provide some big answers regarding the fate of one character: Eugene.

Episode 5 ended with an enormous gut-punch: as Ellie beat Nora with a pipe, it cut to black and flashed back to an earlier, more peaceful time, with Joel waking Ellie up in the morning. “Hey, kiddo.”

A trailer has since confirmed that Pedro Pascal will reprise his role in the next episode, which will be directed by The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann. It’s said to be incredibly “special.”

Also, going by official images released by HBO ahead of its release, we’ll find out exactly what happened to Eugene.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 images promise Eugene backstory

In the first episode of Season 2, Gail spoke about her late husband, Eugene, and how he was killed by Joel.

“You shot and killed my husband,” she said. “You killed Eugene and I resent you for it – no, maybe a little more than that, I hate you for it.

“And yes, I know you had no choice. I know I should forgive you, but I’ve tried and I can’t… because of how you did it. And looking at your face, sitting in our home, makes me so f**king angry.”

The question is… why did Joel do it? Was he bitten, so Joel was forced to kill him before he endangered anyone else in Jackson, or was there an ulterior motive? Also, even if he was infected, Gail’s issue with “how [he] did it” is another point of curiosity; was he needlessly brutal?

Whatever happened, Episode 6 is going to get into it. We already know that Eugene will be played by Joe Pantoliano, and images of him in the next episode have been released by HBO. Worryingly, he can be seen with his hands up, and it appears Joel and Ellie are the ones holding him at gunpoint.

Speaking to Variety, Druckmann teased: “The way this character comes in really gets to the heart of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.”

Co-showrunner Craig Mazin also said: “We talked a little bit about how Eugene could connect back to a brand new character, but more importantly, the way that their story directly impacts Joel and Ellie’s story. That’s the part that got exciting to us.”