'The Last of Us' episode 8: Why Joel's final line is so important

In a show full of traumatic episodes, The Last of Us episode 8 may well have been the most traumatic so far.

But in the chaos of Ellie's (Bella Ramsey's) capture, a vicious (and telling) interrogation by Joel, and Ellie's ultimate violent escape, you may have missed the real meaning behind the show's final line.

What happened at the end of episode 8?

After David (Scott Shepherd), the leader of the group that captures Ellie, shows his true (and truly horrific) colours, Ellie is forced to kill him in order to save herself.

Traumatised and covered in blood she stumbles outside and straight into the arms of Joel. At first she tries to fight him off, thinking he's one of her captors, but when she finally turns to face him she collapses into his arms.

At this point, Joel utters a line that says a lot about his character — and even more about how he feels about Ellie:

"Look. It's me. It's me. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK, baby girl. I got you. I got you."

What's the significance of Joel calling Ellie "baby girl"?

This is the first time Joel has referred to Ellie as "baby girl" in the show, but it's not the first time he's said those words. "Baby girl" is actually the nickname he had for his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), who was shot and killed by a FEDRA officer in episode 1.

Speaking in HBO Max's "Inside the Episode" video, The Last of Us creator and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, who co-created the show alongside director Craig Mazin, explains the significance of the moment.

"In a way Joel saves her, but more emotionally," he says. "She's just so broken, and she doesn't know what to say. She's covered in blood, and then she just looks him right in the eye. She leans forwards and hugs him. And all he can say is this thing he hasn't said in 20 years, which is 'baby girl', which is what he called his daughter."

Joel and Ellie's relationship hasn't always been plain-sailing, but this moment is incredibly telling in terms of how much she's come to mean to Joel. We're far beyond the cold brutality of Ellie and Joel's confrontation in episode 6, when Joel tells Ellie, "You're not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad." Now, Joel no longer sees Ellie as "cargo," or the sarcastic girl who likes to tell jokes — he now sees her as family.

The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes air every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.